How Fashion Brands Across The Globe Are Helping Communities To Fight COVID?

From manufacturing masks and hand sanitiser to making multi-million-dollar donations, fashion designers and brands across the world have stepped up to contribute to the fight against the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The fashion industry has united to support global relief efforts.

Here are some incredible stories of fashion brands helping communities and healthcare facilities to fight the virus:

Ralph Lauren

The American luxury brand has pledged a donation of $10 million to the WHO’s Solidarity Response Fund and its own Emergency Assistance Fund, which supports its employees and partners.

Additionally, Ralph Lauren Corporation has recalibrated its manufacturing hubs to produce 250,000 masks and 25,000 isolation gowns for frontline healthcare workers. In the UK, the company has initiated fundraising efforts to support The Royal Marsden and the NHS.

Hugo Boss

The German suit maker is using its Metzingen production site to manufacture 180,000 face masks, which will be donated to public facilities. Hugo Boss has also made donations to the National Emergencies Trust, a fundraising initiative set up by the British Red Cross.

Beyond producing face masks, the company is also working on manufacturing PPE for healthcare workers on the frontline.

LVMH

The fashion conglomerate, which owns brands like Dior, Givenchy, and Louis Vuitton, has suspended production of its beauty and fragrance products and converted its facilities to produce hand sanitiser, which has been donated to French public hospitals.

LVMH has also hired 300 additional employees to produce face masks, which will be distributed to the public. The company has pledged to donate 40 million face masks to prevent the spread of the virus.

Burberry

Burberry has pledged to deliver 100,000 surgical masks to the NHS. The British brand is using its Yorkshire trench coat factory to produce hospital gowns and masks for patients.

It is also funding research for a single-dose vaccine at the University of Oxford and supporting charities fighting food poverty in the UK.

Gucci

Gucci has committed to providing 1,100,000 masks and 55,000 medical overalls for healthcare workers. The brand has made €1 million donations each to crowdfunding campaigns like the WHO’s Solidarity Response Fund and the Italian Civil Protection Department.

Gucci also launched #GucciCommunity, encouraging its followers to donate to the WHO COVID-19 fund and giving the organisation full access to its social media platforms to share important information about the virus and how to prevent it.

Chanel

Chanel has donated $1.2 million to French emergency services and public healthcare systems. The French luxury brand is using its production facilities to manufacture 50,000 face masks for medical workers, firefighters, and police officers.

Prada

The Italian giant has helped build two entire intensive care and resuscitation units for Milan’s three largest hospitals. Prada is also ramping up the production of 80,000 medical overalls and 110,000 masks to be distributed among healthcare professionals.

Bottega Veneta

Bottega Veneta has supported scientific research in Italy by funding two years of scholarships in Veneto, Lazio, and Campania. These scholarships will contribute to research and assist Italian medical workers.

Bulgari

Bulgari has donated 160,000 units of hand sanitiser to medical staff and hospitals in the UK. The brand has also made donations to research departments at Lazzaro Spallanzani Hospital in Rome and Italy’s Centre of Excellence in Research and Medicine, both of which are working to find a cure for COVID-19.

Salvatore Ferragamo

Salvatore Ferragamo has manufactured and donated 100,000 antibacterial masks, 50,000 units of hand sanitiser, and 3,000 FPP1 masks to hospitals and healthcare professionals in Tuscany.

Moncler

The luxury ski brand announced a €10 million donation to build a new hospital with 400 intensive care units in Milan, which will treat patients suffering from the coronavirus.

Kering

The luxury conglomerate, which owns brands such as Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, and Yves Saint Laurent, has donated $1 million to the CDC Foundation and pledged to provide 3,000,000 surgical masks for French healthcare professionals.

It's not just corporations; individuals like Giorgio Armani have also pledged to help out. Armani made a personal donation of 2 million AUD to hospitals in his native Italy.

Donatella Versace and her daughter Allegra donated €200,000 to the ICU of San Raffaele Hospital in Milan. Gucci CEO Marco Bizzari made a personal donation of $100,000 to hospitals in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy.

The response from the fashion world to this unprecedented crisis has been heartwarming and inspiring. Every contribution, whether from an individual or an organisation, is important and makes a huge difference in our collective effort to overcome this pandemic.

Conclusion

The fashion industry’s rapid response to the COVID-19 crisis serves as a reminder of the power of community and solidarity in the face of global challenges.

Through their donations, manufacturing efforts, and ongoing support, these brands have demonstrated how industries can pivot to help combat public health crises.

Their efforts not only provide much-needed resources to frontline workers but also inspire hope that, together, we can emerge stronger from this pandemic.