As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to impact the world, luxury fashion labels, beauty brands and jewellery houses have pledged their support to the fight against coronavirus by offering much-needed donations and medical supplies.
Earlier this month luxury conglomerate LVMH announced its decision to use its fragrance production lines to start making hand sanitiser and fellow luxury group Kering committed to donating 3 million masks to the French health service.
Now, many designers and labels are coming together to offer their assistance to those impacted by the coronavirus crisis — from Burberry trading trench coats for hospital gowns to Bulgari swapping high-end perfume for hand cleansing gel, here’s a round-up of the brands making a difference.
BURBERRY
British fashion house, Burberry, is using its global supply network to deliver 100,000 surgical masks to NHS workers across the UK and using it’s Yorkshire-based factory to manufacture non-surgical gowns and masks for patients, instead of trench coats. The luxury brand is also funding research into a potential vaccine for Covid-19, developed by the University of Oxford.
VICTORIA BECKHAM
Victoria’s Beckham’s eponymous fashion and beauty lines will donate 20% of sales (from Victoriabeckham.com and Victoriabeckhambeauty.com) to Feeding America in the US and the Trussell Trust in the UK — helping to support vulnerable people during these uncertain times.
The production of Bulgari hand cleansing gel in the ICR laboratories
BVLGARI
Luxury Roman jewellery house, Bulgari, has decided to manufacture — with the support of its historical fragrances partner, ICR — sanitising hand cleansing gel, made to be distributed across Italian medical facilities. “I believe as a major economic actor and symbol of Italy, Bulgari has a responsibility to contribute to the national effort to help prevent, fight and eradicate Covid-19,” said Bulgari CEO Jean-Christophe Babin.
RALPH LAUREN
The Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation is committing 10 million dollars to its team, partners and the communities impacted by Covid-19; including providing financial grants for colleagues and helping those who are especially vulnerable during this time by further supporting cancer institutions through the Pink Pony Fund. In addition, Ralph Lauren has also starting to produce 250,000 masks and 25,000 isolation gowns.
GUCCI
Last week, Gucci announced that it will be donating 2 million euros to crowdfunding campaigns helping to fight the Covid-19 pandemic. The donation will be divided between one local and one global organization: the Italian Civil Protection Department, a platform which reinforces Italy’s health services and sources new ICU beds; and the United Nations Foundation’s Covid-19 Solidarity Response Fund in support of the World Health Organization.
Prada’s Montone factory is now manufacturing masks and overalls
PRADA
Earlier this month, Prada’s co-CEOs Patrizio Bertelli and Miuccia Prada, and chairman Carlo Mazzi, personally donated six intensive care and resuscitation units to three hospitals in Milan. Following the donation, the brand responded to Tuscany’s request for healthcare supplies by keeping its Montone factory open to produce 80,000 medical overalls and 110,000 masks for hospitals in the Tuscan region.
GIORGIO ARMANI
The Armani Group announced that all of its Italian production plants will now be used for manufacturing single use medical overalls for healthcare workers that are fighting against the coronavirus. The Italian group has also made donations to the National Civil Protection Department, and donated funds to hospitals in Milan, Rome and Tuscany.
VERSACE
Donatella Versace and her daughter, Allegra, donated 200,000 euros to the intensive care unit at San Raffaele hospital in Milan and the Versace brand gave 1 million renminbi to The Red Cross Society of China.
