As COVID-19/coronavirus continues to dominate our world as we know it, the luxury fashion industry is coming together to help in the fight the global pandemic. Designers and Houses have repurposed their facilities, factories and resources in clever ways, that are, most importantly, incredibly helpful in this ongoing battle that hasn’t seemed to show any signs of letting up anytime soon. Here’s a list of some of those designers and houses that are doing their part for the healthcare workers and hospitals, and in turn, the world, during this crisis.
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
PRADA
Prada’s home country of Italy is one of the most hard hit regions, when it comes to the coronavirus. Initially, Prada—via its co-CEOs and Chairman, Patrizio Bertelli, Miuccia Prada and Carlo Mazzi—had donated two intensive care units (ICUs) and resuscitation units to each of the three main hospitals in Milan: Vittore Buzzi, Sacco and San Raffaele. In addition to that, it just announced it will also produce 80,000 medical overalls and 110,000 masks, which will be provided to Italian healthcare workers. All will be delivered by April 6th.
BALENCIAGA + SAINT LAURENT
Under one of the biggest luxury conglomerates, Kering Group, Balenciaga and Saint Laurent‘s production facilities will be used to make surgical masks, in an effort to combat the widespread pandemic. The masks will be provided to French hospitals and in the interim, Kering will also donate three million masks from China, as the surgical mask shortage for healthcare workers and hospitals continues to be problematic for the world as a whole.
GUCCI
Gucci—the largest House under the Kering Group umbrella—will also produce 1.1 million surgical masks to be provided to Italy, in response to the Tuscany region’s call to the fashion industry as a whole to help the region, which is in dire need. Additionally, Kering Group—toward the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, in January of this year—made a substantial donation to the Hubei Red Cross Foundation to stunt the growth of the virus.
Photo Credit: BFA for Gucci
DIOR, GIVENCHY + GUERLAIN
The largest luxury conglomerate in the world—LVMH, Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton—made headlines as one of the first entities to repurpose its resources and facilities in thoughtful ways to provide real assistance in areas of need in the combat against COVID-19. Specifically, the Christian Dior, Givenchy and Guerlain factories produced over 12 tons of sanitizer, which were distributed to 39 public hospitals in Paris, France, at no charge.
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
MICHAEL COSTELLO
American designers are participating as well—and in a big way. Michael Costello, known for his form-fitting gowns that flatter the female figure perfectly, dressing stars like Jennifer Lopez and Mariah Carey in his designs, announced he’d be producing 20,000 cotton-blend masks that were non-surgical, with a 70-74% air filtration success rate, to slow the spread of coronavirus. Most recently, he posted a video to his Instagram account of him at his own personal sewing machine, with the caption, “I have been here for the past 24 hours, glued to my machine in hopes of making prototypes of face masks.”
Photo Credit: Getty Images
CHRISTIAN SIRIANO
Christian Siriano was one of the first American designers to proactively offer his assistance via a Tweet that read, “If @NYGovCuomo says we need masks my team will help make some. I have a full sewing team still on staff working from home that can help.” And they did. Though his masks are not medical grade, they can still help the spread of the virus, both for healthcare and personal use. They will be white in color, so that they may be washed with bleach.
BRANDON MAXWELL
On his social media platforms, American designer Brandon Maxwell—who catapulted to global fashion fame with his celebrity dressing, which includes Lady Gaga’s famed Met Gala moment last year—announced, “In response to this global crisis, we are focusing our creative efforts on manufacturing PPE [personal protective equipment], starting with gowns.” He also took the time to mention that he would continue to research as more information became available about how he and his team can transition into producing medical grade masks and gloves, as well.
BALMAIN + VALENTINO
The parent company to brands like Balmain and Valentino, Qatar-based Mayhoola most recently announced it is donating 2 million Euros to Sacco Hospital in Milan—one of the worst hit cities in Italy. The funds will go toward the intensive care unit, as well as the protection of the healthcare staff in the hospital who are helping those inflicted with COVID-19.
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
