Fashion Steps Up During The COVID-19 Virus
For the first time in most of our lives, we are being asked as global citizens to combat a common enemy: the COVID-19 virus, which is proving to be an extremely disruptive and transformative force that’s altering our daily existence.
We are being asked to take part in social distancing and self-isolating to help slow down the spread of coronavirus. For many of us, this means we are now working from home, which is a drastic change in our routines. For one thing, we’re more likely to dress comfortably in casual wear instead of our finest fashions (although we’ll still wear our favorite jewelry). And yet, we’ll still pay attention to the trends, even as we are glued to news updates, because there’s always room to appreciate style.
The timing of the coronavirus coincided with Fashion Month, and the most startling street style look we saw was during Paris Fashion Week, where some influencers were wearing designer surgical face masks. This meant we saw several different logo-emblazoned iterations of the medical staple, most notably by Chanel. There seems something frivolous about this trend, especially when there is a concern of hospitals running out of real surgical face masks.
But the encouraging news is that it’s not all frivolity and fun—in fact, the fashion world has been seriously stepping up to help support the health industry.
Luxury fashion group LVMH recently announced that it will be repurposing its Givenchy and Dior cosmetics factories to produce and distribute free hand sanitizer to French hospitals, in addition to pledging a reported 40 million surgical masks to French health authorities and donating a sizable sum in financial aid towards battling coronavirus.
“Given the risk of shortage of hydroalcoholic gel in France, Bernard Arnault has instructed the LVMH Perfumes and Cosmetics business to prepare its production sites to manufacture substantial quantities of hydroalcoholic gel to be provided to public authorities,” said LVMH in a statement.
Prada donated six Intensive Care Units to three separate hospitals in their home city of Milan, Italy, the country that currently has the second worst outbreak after China. Armani has also offered their factories, funds, and influential platforms to helping combat the effects of the coronavirus. As well, Gucci’s CEO, Marco Bizzarri, recently made a personal donation of more than $100,000 to go towards hospitals in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy.
Kering S.A.—the owners of Balenciaga, Gucci, and Bottega Veneta, among others—has also announced that it will be manufacturing surgical masks to aid the shortage in France. Kering has stated the workshops of luxury houses Balenciaga and Saint Laurent are “preparing to manufacture masks while complying with the strictest health protection measures for their staff members, with production getting underway as soon as the manufacturing process and materials have been approved by the relevant authorities.”
Ahead of the production of surgical masks, Kering also announced that it will be donating around 3 million surgical masks purchased and imported from China. Kering’s largest brand, Gucci, is also expected to donate approximately 1.1 million surgical masks and 55,000 medical overalls in Italy over the next few weeks, subject to relevant authorizations.
Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti, the duo that founded Italian fashion house Valentino in 1960, announced that the Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti Foundation will be donating 1 million euros (roughly $1.1 million) to support the fight against coronavirus.
Rome-based jewelry brand Bulgari made a donation to the Istituto Lazzaro Spallanzani, a research institute working to purchase a microscopic image acquisition system meant to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Donatella Versace, alongside her daughter Allegra Versace Beck, donated $200,000 to San Raffaele hospital’s Intensive Care Units. Back in February, they also contributed 1 million renminbi, equivalent to about $143,400, to the Chinese Red Cross Foundation.
Just this week, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) announced the launch of A Common Thread, a fundraising initiative in conjunction with Vogue magazine, to support small businesses within the fashion industry who are being impacted by the global pandemic. The fund will also repurpose the $700,000 typically dedicated to the Fashion Fund Award, instead allocating the amount, and potentially more, to businesses that apply for grants starting on April 8th.
The Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation recently announced a donation of $10 million to COVID-19 organizations and charities, including the World Health Organization COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund, as well as to the Vogue/CFDA fund. They will also be producing 250,000 non-surgical masks and 25,000 hospital gowns.
H&M donated $500,000 to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund, and stated that the brand would begin producing Personal Protective Equipment (or PPE) products to be distributed to hospitals and healthcare workers worldwide. In addition, they are using their social media channels to promote awareness.
The National Council of Textile Organizations has announced that in the U.S., nine companies are co-operating on a high-priority drive to make face masks, with a target of 10 million a week. The companies involved include American Giant, Fruit of the Loom, Hanesbrands, Parkdale Inc., Los Angeles Apparel, AST Sportswear, American Knits, Beverly Knits, and Riegel Linen.
Pyer Moss founder Kerby Jean-Raymond declared on Instagram that he will be converting his New York City office and studio to become a donation center for N95 masks and latex gloves. He will also be donating $5,000 of his own money on gloves and masks to be sent to public health professionals in need.
The decision by these fashion groups to pledge aid dollars and health products spreads a positive message of support and hope that things will improve sooner rather than later. Yes, the world will be forever changed by the experience of the coronavirus, but in the meantime, there is strength in solidarity.
About The Author
Debbie Azar is the Co-Founder and President of Gemological Science International (GSI), one of the largest gemological organizations in the world, and a distinguished leader in the global diamond and jewelry industry. As an executive with extensive knowledge of the jewelry and gem lab industries, her entrepreneurial skills and vision have helped GSI achieve rapid and continuous growth worldwide, establishing 13 leading-edge gemological facilities on four continents. She currently serves on the boards of the Jewelers Vigilance Committee, Responsible Jewellery Council, and Jewelers for Children, and is a member of the 24 Karat Club of New York. She has been featured in Forbes, Daily Mail, Good Morning America, Bloomberg, Bloomberg Businessweek, Fox Business, Fox5, CBS2, BOLDTV, Varney&Co, The Street, and NASDAQ, among others.
