Here are the Fashion and Beauty Brands Helping to Fight Coronavirus
The coronavirus pandemic has had a major effect on society in a very short time, overwhelming healthcare systems worldwide while leading the rest of us to practice social distancing in an effort to limit the spread. It's brought nearly every industry to a pause, and fashion and beauty are no exception. The good news is many of the brands we know and love are stepping up to use their resources for good, making charitable donations and contributing essential supplies when the world needs them most. From hand sanitizer production at companies like Estée Lauder and LVMH to a face mask effort led by the likes of Christian Siriano, learn more about the efforts fashion and beauty brands are taking against coronavirus below.
The Estée Lauder Companies have reopened their manufacturing factory to produce hand sanitizer for healthcare professionals on the front lines of the pandemic. The conglomerate has also pledged $2 million to Doctors Without Borders to help combat coronavirus in countries with less resources.
LOEWE is taking extensive efforts to give back to its community in these trying times with a variety of efforts against Coronavirus. The brand has begun producing non-surgical masks to distribute amongst volunteer workers, LOEWE employees and their families, and plans to donate 100,000 surgical masks to the Spanish Red Cross. LOEWE also plans to donate 40 euros to educational projects for every piece sold in the Paula's Ibiza collection between May and August, and has kicked it off with a 500,000 euro donation. LOEWE is further collaborating with Plataforma de Infancia to produce a series of educational programs in Spain this summer in order to reduce educational inequality and the number of school dropouts.
Following New York governor Andrew Cuomo's plea for protective face masks amidst a shortage, eveningwear designer Christian Siriano was quick to respond. Siriano's studio is now making hundreds of masks a day to donate to medical professionals protecting themselves against coronavirus, and other designers have been following suit.
Brandon Maxwell has joined fellow Project Runway cast member Siriano in manufacturing personal protective equipment in the face of shortages. After researching appropriate medical textiles, Maxwell is dedicating his resources to help the cause, starting with gowns.
Prada has pledged to produce and donate 80,000 medical overalls and 110,000 masks by April 6, though deliveries are already occurring daily. This effort comes after the luxury house funded six new intensive care units across three of Milan's biggest hospitals.
Donatella Versace and daughter Allegra have donated 200,000 euros to the San Raffaele hospital in Milan. Earlier this year, the duo had also donated $143,000 to the Chinese Red Cross.
After donating $720,000 to the Chinese Red Cross Foundation with the purpose of providing more medical supplies and protective gear, L'Oreal is widening its efforts. The major beauty company is now also making hand sanitizer to combat shortages, primarily focusing on Europe.
Kerby Jean-Raymond has made waves in the fashion industry with his brand Pyer Moss, and he is once again using his platform for good. Jean-Raymond is using Pyer Moss's NYC studio to collect medical supply donations for healthcare professionals, so far obtaining over 7,000 masks and over 1,000 units of gloves and face protection. In addition to this, he has created a $100,000 fund to support small, creative businesses impacted by the virus, focusing on those owned by women and minorities.
BVLGARI has began manufacturing bottles of their own hand sanitizer to support the fight against COVID-19 in Italy, which will be distributed through the Italian government to healtcare professionals across the country.
Amidst hand sanitizer shortages, LVMH, the conglomerate behind major fashion houses such as Louis Vuitton, Dior, Givenchy, and Fenty, has repurposed its cosmetics factories to create free hand sanitizer, the first bottles we've seen of which come in packaging typically used for Dior products. In addition to donating these bottles to health care professionals on the front lines of the pandemic, LVMH donated $2.2 million to the Chinese Red Cross back in February.
Louis Vuitton has continued their efforts against Covid-19 by repurposing its American workshops to make non-surgical, reusable cloth face masks. LV is partnering with organizations in the states most heavily impacted by Coronavirus to donate these masks.
Kering, the French luxury group behind brands such as Gucci, Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, and Alexander McQueen, has increased its generosity after making a multi-million dollar donation to fight against coronavirus in January. Balenciaga and Saint Laurent's workshops are now dedicated to producing and donating surgical masks for French healthcare professionals.
Last month, Giorgio Armani presented his Fall 2020 collection at Milan Fashion Week to an empty room amidst the start of the coronavirus outbreak in Italy. Now, the designer and his company have donated 1.25 million euros to fight coronavirus, with the donations reaching several hospitals in Milan and Rome as well as Italy's civil defense department.
Inditex, the parent company of Zara and Bershka, has also been dedicated to producing and donating surgical masks. The company has repurposed part of its manufacturing efforts in Spain to produce hospital gowns, and has offered an abundance of resources to help Spain's healthcare professionals.
Mayhoola, parent company of Balmain and Valentino, has announced a donation of one million euros to France's healtcare professionals working on the front-line. The donation will help hospitals gather much-needed medical equipment as well as support hospital staff as they keep fighting through this.
Forevermark's parent company, De Beers Group will be donating $2.5 million to Coronavirus relief efforts in Botswana and Namibia. De Beers has had long standing partnerships with the diamond industry in both countries, and they will continue supporting those communities in the face of this pandemic.
Coty Inc., the conglomerate behind beauty brands like Gucci Beauty and Calvin Klein, is now using its manufacturing sites to provide free hydro-alcoholic gel, or hand sanitizer, to medical and emergency providers. Production has started in factories in the United States and Monaco, with wider efforts to follow suit within the week.
Gap Inc. is another major retailer repurposing its factories to produce protective wear for healthcare and emergency professionals fighting coronavirus. The company is making masks, scrubs, and gowns, working with its vendors to deliver these to major hospital networks in California.
Hanes, known for its popular cotton basics, has begun making cotton face masks, with a design approved by the Food and Drug Administration. In a true community effort, Hanes has shared this design with retail companies such as Fruit of the Loom, SanMar, Beverly Knits, and the National Council of Textile Organizations.
Allbirds has donated $500,000 worth of shoes to healthcare workers across America, with an understanding of the exhausting circumstances they are currently working under. The brand is also offering customers a way to contribute to the effort with a buy-one-give-one deal.
Fashion designer Michael Costello is also creating surgical masks to donate to healthcare providers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic, and he has challenged others to join him, helping to lead the effort in Los Angeles as Siriano has in New York.
Beloved comfort brand UGG, along with its parent company Deckers Brands, has launched a Better Together initiative which will donate over $1 million in financial support and product donations to fight against Coronavirus.