As masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE) have become harder to come by, luxury fashion labels have decided to stand up against COVID-19 by producing their own versions of masks and PPE. Find out below how companies such as Louis Vuitton, Burberry and other luxury brands have put their resources to use to help combat these shortages.
In order to combat the virus, Louis Vuitton announced that it was going to join the global fight to make more supplies to protect doctors and nurses. The company, via Instagram, said it had repurposed several of its workshops across France to “produce hundreds of thousands of non-surgical face masks” for healthcare workers. The company also said that American workshops will also follow suit to help increase their efforts.
Louis Vuitton, produces masks for frontline workers.
“This initiative will donate the much-needed protective gear to frontline workers,” the company said. “Thank you to the artisans who have volunteered to create these masks, as well as everyone doing their part to fight this global pandemic.”
In addition to making non-surgical face masks Louis Vuitton also said it was making and donating hospital gowns to six Paris hospitals in urgent need of protective gear.
Artisans will create face masks in workshops located from New Jersey to California to Texas, according to the company’s website. The are designed with safety in mind, and the cloth used will be washable and the masks adjustable, making them easy to reuse. They will also be donated and distributed in states currently most heavily impacted by COVID-19 and will partner with local organizations in each state to better assist in emergency response efforts.
British fashion brand Burberry has also joined the global effort to make PPE by using its fashion production machinery and know how to make masks for healthcare professionals.
The company said it was using its global supply chain “to fast-track the delivery of 100,000 surgical masks to the UK National Health Service, for use by medical staff.” To do this the company, which is known for its iconic trench coats, said it was repurposing its trench coat factory in Castleford, Yorkshire, to make non-surgical gowns and other PPE for patients in UK hospitals.
Known for its iconic trench coats, Burberry is now making PPE.
Burberry said they will also supply funding to the University of Oxford’s vaccine research. The design firm’s Instagram page says: “The university has one of the world’s best track records in emergency vaccine development.” In addition to providing funding and creating PPE the fashion label is also aiming to contribute to UK-based charities The Felix Project and FareShare, which are tackling food poverty.
In Perugia, Italy, Prada’s factory has produced 80,000 medical gowns and 110,000 masks for healthcare workers. In addition to making PPE Prada co-CEOs Patrizio Bertelli and Miuccia Prada, the youngest granddaughter of Mario Prada, as well as chairman Carlo Mazzi, donated two new intensive care units in Milan at each of the city’s biggest three hospitals, with one unit equating to one bed, according to a statement released by Prada’s press office.
Miuccia Prada
These fashion labels are just a few of the many that are stepping up to help combat the virus by producing necessary masks and other PPE during this difficult time. By utilizing the materials, they do have, and using their own factories and volunteers, these brands have been able to make a difference in the lives of many. ■
