How Fashion And Beauty Companies Are Giving Back During The Pandemic
We're all in this together
The coronavirus pandemic continues to have a huge impact on the world, largely changing our normal way of life. Government bodies and authorities continue to urge and some have even allocated mandates to their citizens to self-quarantine, resulting in a closure of public facilities and a majority working or studying from home.
In turn, medics and healthcare staff are left to facilitate aid to the growing number of patients in hospitals amidst a backdrop of limited essential medical supplies needed to treat patients — particularly, surgical gloves and N95 face masks. This is the new normal.
A large number of fashion and beauty companies have recognised the urgency and heeded the call to help and support the fight against the pandemic. Whether it's a large-scale conglomerate or a small, independent brand, each in their own ways are steadfast in their mission to stop the spread of the disease and in helping those around them who need it the most. Here, we list all the brands who are inspiring change, stepping up and playing their parts during this trying time.
Together with its historical fragrances partner, ICR (Industrie Cosmetiche Riunite, Bvlgari has pledged to manufacture several hundreds of thousands of hand gel bottles to be supplied in priority to all medical facilities through the Protezione Civile (Italian Civil Protection Department). By the end of April, about 100,000 bottles of hydroalcoholic gel will be donated and distributed to Geneva, Vaud, Valais, Basel and Zug—Swiss cantons most impacted by COVID-19. The brand also pledged to donate over 160,000 units of medical-grade hand sanitising gel in portable 75ml recycled bottles to the UK's National Health Service [NHS] at the beginning of May last year.
In Tokyo, Bvlgari Japan and Bvlgari Il Ristorante Luca Fantin joined forces to support frontline medical personnel in Tokyo with the ‘LUNCH BOX’ project, where lunch boxes were delivered twice a week to designated hospitals and medical institutions.
Continuing its efforts to support the global fight against COVID-19, the Bulgari Women & Science Fellowship in COVID-19 Research—the first project in the United States to receive financial support from the Bulgari Virus Free Fund—supports female students, scientists and scholars who are researching the disease at The Rockefeller University.
The Italian house has announced that it would donate $500,000 to UNICEF in support of equitable distribution of the future COVID-19 vaccine. Gucci will also match up to $100,000 of funds raised through its "21-day challenge" held between December 5 to 26.
In May, donated €2 million in support of two crowdfunding campaigns to help fight the coronavirus pandemic. Through its Chime for Change initiative and the Kering Foundation, Gucci also stepped up to help victims of domestic abuse with their #StandWithWomen campaign, raising funds for nonprofit organizations—including the Ms. Foundation in the US, the Rosa Fund in the UK, Global Fund For Women, which supports sister funds in Hong Kong, France and Mexico, as well as Equality Now in the Middle East and North Africa—to combat gender-based violence during the crisis and support all women and girls around the world.
Chloé commits to producing and supplying Paris hospitals with medical gowns, with the help of employees who have volunteered to support the project. The brand will also be donating fabrics to the Atelier Lazar Cuckovic that has partnered hospitals in Paris to combat the shortage of medical gowns.
Pierpaolo Piccioli has launched the #ValentinoEmpathy campaign for Valentino's fall collections—stemming from his belief that we are always connected through empathy. The charity campaign, featuring Adut Akech, Anwar Hadid, Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell and more, will be shot by loved ones with whom they are living with during this time of social distancing. The subjects will be donating their presence and participating in the project for free; Valentino will be donating 1 million euros to the Italian Lazzaro Spallanzani Hospital in Rome, the Italian hub fighting against COVID-19.
This follows Mayhoola—the luxury conglomerate that owns Valentino—and Valentino's donation of 2 million euros to the Italian Sacco Hospital and to the Protezione Civile, 1 million to La Fondation Hôpitaux de Paris - Hôpitaux de France (FHP-HF), and 1 million to the Spanish field hospital within the Madrid exhibition center.
In continuation of the Italian house's collaboration with Humanitas University, Dolce&Gabbana has launched a new campaign titled “Amore for Scientific Research” featuring Sofia Vergara alongside the brand's Devotion bag A portion of proceeds from the sale of the Devotion bags will be donated to Humanitas University to aid their global health initiatives.
Bottega Veneta has pledged €300,000 in support of scientific research in Italy during the current pandemic and beyond. The funds will go toward funding two-year scholarships across universities, institutes and hospitals in Veneto, Lazio and Campania.
Loewe has collaborated with Plataforma de Infancia—a Spanish alliance of social organisations that works to protect children and adolescent’s rights—to launch educational programs this summer with the aim to narrow the educational inequality gap between children of different socio-economic backgrounds. The brand will pledge an initial donation of 500,000 euros, and 40 euros for each product sold from its Paula’s Ibiza collection between May and August 2020.
Loewe is also determined to donate 100,000 surgical masks to the Spanish Red Cross, to be distributed equitably to frontline services based on urgency. In addition, non-surgical masks are being produced in its Getafe factory, which will be distributed to volunteer workers, Loewe employees and their families.
Tory Burch has teamed up with 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East to provide $5 million worth of products—including scrubs, belts, and sneakers—to health care workers. The brand is also donating 3,000 yards of fabric for the production of face masks and hospital gowns which will go to the Catholic Health Services of Long Island.
On April 16, the Tory Burch Foundation launched a free webinar with the United States Chamber of Commerce on navigating debt relief. The organisation is also providing information with regard to accessing debt relief on its social media platforms and website.
Maje has teamed up with a network of manufacturers in the Pays de la Loire region to produce protective face masks. As of 1st April, 12,000 FFP1 masks have been delivered to the Agence Régionale de Santé d’Ile-de-France (Greater Paris regional health agency).that manages the health system and distribution of medical resources in Paris. The masks are distributed according to urgency and priority needs to home care and law enforcement agencies. Maje aims to manufacture 500,000 masks per week moving forward.
Louis Vuitton has repurposed 12 of its workshops and mobilised 300 artisans in France to the production of non-surgical protective masks. These non-surgical masks have been approved by the different governing bodies and are created in collaboration with Mode Grand Ouest, a regional network of the textile industry who are supplying one of the main materials.
“As an important French House, Louis Vuitton wishes to commit at its level to producing many thousands of masks that will be distributed within the region, at no charge, to protect those who are most exposed,” said Michael Burke, Louis Vuitton Chairman and CEO.
Pledging $100,000 to Crisis Text Line and the organization's efforts to provide crisis counseling and emotional support for doctors and nurses through its Kate Spade New York Foundation, the American label is also partnering with institutions like Pursuit, the American Red Cross, the United Nations, Catchafire, and UPchieve on a virtual volunteering program.
New York-based fashion label Marina Moscone is working with medical professionals to produce 400 ASTM-standard masks that were donated to the ER unit at Bellevue Hospital. The brand hopes to extend the program to Mount Sinai, Cornell and NYU Lagone hospitals.
Known for their full glove interior lining that's super soft, Thursday Boot Co. has been working with its manufacturer in Mexico to produce about 14,000 polypropylene masks to distribute to hospitals, fire departments and homeless shelters. The company has also raised $100,000 via a warehouse sale that will support Direct Relief.
The Los Angelos-based company has donated 35,000 N95 masks to 18 hospitals across America, with 215,000 more en route to 70 others. It's also gleaning from its brand partners and network of influencers to assist in procuring and distributing one million masks to healthcare facilities.
“As a global fashion retailer with customers in over 150 countries and products from all over the world, we intend to leverage our strengths in this fight," said co-founder Michale Mente in a statement released by the company. "Our unique combination of competences, global sourcing expertise, streamlined logistics and operations, unique infrastructure and worldwide social media reach, allows us to contribute to the efficiency of getting this critical equipment where it is needed," Mented explained.
The Della Valle family that founded Tod's S.p.A., has entrusted €5 million to Dipartimento della Protezione Civile to distribute to the families of health professional who has lost their lives in the fight against COVID-19. The fund, dubbed Sempre con Voi (meaning "always with you" in Italian), is also accepting contributions from third-parties.
Through its Tiffany & Co. Foundation, the jewelry company has pledged $1 million to organizations supporting COVID-19 relief, with $750,000 going to the WHO's Solidarity Response Fund and $250,000 to the New York Community Trust’s NYC COVID-19 Response & Impact Fund. The firm will also institute an employee donation program that will match the funds to qualified organizations combating the effects of the coronavirus.
The luxury denim manufacturer has committed to donating $1 million to the COVID-19 LA County Response Fund, which will support the implementation of coronavirus testing.
The Brazilian brand and its umbrella company, Alpargatas, has converted its factories to start producing protective equipment for health care professionals, including masks, sanitizers, and COVID-19 test kits, in its home nation. It will also distribute 100,000 kits with food and hygiene products to the most vulnerable communities. Moreover, Havaianas will donate sound equipment to the Conexão Favela radio station in Rio de Janeiro, so that low-income communities can have access to official announcements pertaining to the coronavirus.
The denim label and its parent company, Kontoor Brands Inc., has committed to producing 50,000 medical gowns that will be distributed to North Carolina–based hospitals.
Michael Kors, the American fashion label under Capri Holdings, has pledged $1 million, with the eponymous designer adding another $1 million personally, to New York-based organizations supporting coronavirus relief efforts. The amount of $750,000 will go to NYU Langone Health, another $750,000 to New York-Presbyterian Hospital, $250,000 to God’s Love We Deliver, and $250,000 to A Common Thread, CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund for COVID-19 Relief.
The London-based accessories label has pledged $500,000 to organizations in the United Kingdom: $250,00 will go to the National Health Service COVID-19 Urgent Appeal by NHS Charities Together, and $250,00 will go to the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.
Through its enduring Viva Glam campaign, of which Miley Cyrus was an ambassador, the beauty behemoth will distribute $10 million to 250 local organizations throughout the globe that supporting COVID-19 relief efforts.
"The VIVA GLAM efforts are only made possible by the continuous support of the MAC community and those who purchase a Viva Glam lipstick, of which 100 percent of the proceeds goes towards these local organizations," Cyrus said in a statement provided by the company. "To get involved, you can purchase any current shade of the current lipstick or send a virtual kiss to those on the front line via Twitter or Instagram with [the] hashtag #vivaglam."
Besides pledging 10,000 medical-grade masks to hospitals in New York and Washington, footwear company Dolce Vita has also donated to organisations including Feeding America and No Kid Hungry.
Activewear company Fabletics has committed to donating a portion of sales from the launch of its capsule collection with Demi Lovato to the WHO's COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.
“Recently, we have watched our world change and have thought long and hard about holding off on this launch,” said Lovato in a statement. “After sitting down to reflect for a few days, we realized there’s no better time to inspire others with my capsule, which has always been about channelling your inner strength.”
Yoox Net-A-Porter's Premier Delivery Service fleet is now serving as Volunteered Vehicles for seven local Age UK charities benefiting older people in London. The Volunteered Vehicles for local charities have also been extended to Italy and Hong Kong in response to the unprecedented level of need in these countries.
The Volunteered Vehicles in London will facilitate the delivery of critical supplies across Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham, East London, Enfield, Camden, West London and Lambeth. The services of these seven Age UK charities include the prevention of malnutrition and ensuring essential upkeep of health and wellbeing, as well as reassuring anxiety of reduced access to food and medicines while staying at home.
A second initiative, the Emergency Designer Network (EDN), will provide essential logistical assistance to the production of key PPE garments such as robes, scrubs and masks by local UK manufacturers and designers.
Chanel is working with French health authorities to produce face masks, in addition to retaining its employees during the crisis. "Today, we are mobilising our partner manufacturers and teams, including close to 150 sewing specialists from the Haute Couture, Ready-to-Wear and Maisons d’Art workshops, to produce protective face masks and gowns," Chanel president of fashion Bruno Pavlovsky said in a statement.
The Japanese corporation that owns Uniqlo, J Brand, Theory and Helmut Lang has pledged to donate 10 million masks to medical facilities around the world in need.
Burberry is utilising its global supply chain network to fast-track the delivery of over 100,000 surgical masks to the UK National Health Service, for use by medical staff. Non-surgical gowns and masks for patients will also be produced at the brand's trench coat factory in Castleford, Yorkshire (subject to approval from the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency).
In addition, the brand has announced that it is funding research into a single-dose vaccine developed by the University of Oxford, as well as donating to charities such as FareShare and The Felix Project, dedicated to tackling food poverty across the UK.
Ralph Lauren has pledged $10 million to coronavirus relief efforts, which will go to the World Health Organization's COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund, the Emergency Assistance Foundation, and its Pink Pony Fund that supports a network of international cancer institutions.
Additionally, the American lifestyle brand gifted an undisclosed amount to the CFDA/ Vogue Fashion Fund to help fashion designers affected by the pandemic. The brand is also producing 250,000 face masks and 25,000 isolation gowns for health care workers.
Johnson & Johnson has been working with the Biomedical Advanced Candidate and Development Authority since the beginning of the year to create COVID-19 vaccines, which will begin human clinical studies in September. The multinational corporation has also pledged $300,000,000 to support frontline health care workers.
The French luxury conglomerate is producing sanitising hand gels at its perfume and cosmetic facilities in France, in efforts to fight against the Covid-19 outbreak. The factories that currently manufacture fragrances and make-up for brands such as Christian Dior, Guerlain and Givenchy will “produce large quantities hydroalcoholic gels”, which will then be donated to French health authorities. It has also promised to donate 40 million face masks.
“Through this initiative, LVMH intends to help address the risk and lack of product in France and enable a greater number of people to continue to take the right action to protect themselves from the spread of the virus,” read a statement issued by the company.
Mother and daughter duo, Donatella and Allegra Versace, have donated €200,000 to the ICU at San Raffaele Hospital in Milan.
Mayhoola is a Qatari luxury fashion conglomerate in the making, that owns Valentino, Balmain and Pal Zileri. In its efforts to alleviate some of the difficulties faced by the medical industry, they will be donating a new negative pressure ventilation installation to the Sacco Hospital in Milan. Further more, it will be donating €1 million to the hospital, which will help cover all COVID-19 expenses at the medical facility, and another million to the Italian government organization Protezione Civile Italiana, which deals with national disasters and catastrophes.
French luxury fashion label Moncler has announced that it will be donating 10 million euros to support a project by the region of Lombardy. The money will be used towards the construction of a new hospital with over 400 intensive care units in the ex Fiera Milano area.
Behind brands like CoverGirl and Calvin Klein fragrances is beauty manufacturer Coty. In light of the current pandemic, the company has taken to using its production facilities to create hydroalcoholic gels for frontline medical professionals.
Parisian apparel brand Sandro is planning on distributing 10,000 masks crafted from excess fabric to non-medical workers at hospitals all over France such as Aulnay-sous-Bois Hospital. It's part of their efforts in alleviating the strain faced by medical-grade mask manufacturers. The brand ultimately aims to distribute masks throughout Europe and the United States. The company will also be offering complimentary breakfast to hospital employees every Friday in alternation cities globally. It has also designed a shirt that will be sold on its website, and all of the proceeds will be donated to the Red Cross.
The cosmetics company intends to donate a $2 million grant to Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières) to support its efforts in countries lacking in substantial resources to combat COVID-19. The beauty corporation also announced the reopening its factory in Melville, New York, in order to start producing hydroalcoholic gel.
The eponymous Italian luxury fashion designer has donated $1.4 million to hospitals and health organizations in Italy.
Founded by Haitian-American Kerby Jean-Raymond, Pyer Moss has formed a network titled Your Friends in New York and has set aside $50,000 to procure N95 masks and other medical supplies to distribute to local hospitals—the brand is based in New York. The label will also be providing financial aid to small, minority-and-women-led businesses suffering from this economic decline.
American fashion designer and television personality Brandon Maxwell has announced that he will be pitching in to fight against the coronavirus pandemic with his team.
"In response to the global crisis, we are now focusing our creative efforts on manufacturing PPE (personal protective equipment), starting with gowns," Maxwell wrote on Twitter. "We have spent the last week researching the appropriate medical textiles to create these gowns and are proud to provide these much-needed items to the doctors and nurses on the front lines of this crisis."
The red carpet-favourite American fashion designer has offered to sew face masks in light of potential medical supply shortages in the state of New York. “I am just in a unique scenario where I manufacture everything in New York already, I have a working atelier and everyone's working from home, and my office is a townhouse,” he told BAZAAR.com.
French luxury skincare brand Clarins responded to the shortage of hands sanitisers in the French health sector by producing and distributing 14,500 bottles of it to hospitals.
"Our objective is to actively continue the production of hand sanitiser as long as necessary and always in adequate sanitary and safety conditions for all of the employees currently mobilised in our factories," said the company in a statement.
The H&M Group has announced that it will use its supply chain to produce personal protective equipment for hospital workers and care givers in the EU.
"The Coronavirus is dramatically affecting each and every one of us, and H&M Group is, like many other organisations, trying our best to help in this extraordinary situation," Anna Gedda, head of sustainability at the company said. "We see this is as a first step in our efforts to support in any way we can. We are all in this together, and have to approach this as collectively as possible."
Apart from donating thousands of hand creams to NHS workers, the French luxury beauty brands has also announced that it will be reassigning some of its production lines to manufacture 70,000 litres of hand sanitisers in it home country.
Presidents of Geox and Diadora, Mario and Enrico Moretti Polegato, have donated €1 million to the healthcare sector in the Veneto region of Italy. In a statement released by the company, Mario said: “In this historic moment of extreme emergency that Italy and Veneto are experiencing, it is our moral duty to support our doctors and nurses, working every day at the forefront in the fight against an invisible yet so fearful enemy, which makes us all equal, vulnerable, helpless.”
Led by publicists Danielle Gadi and Jennifer Lowitz, more than 100 jewellery brands have come together for No Kid Hungry—an organisation that provides meals to children across America, many of whom relied on schools for sustenance, which are now closed. Irene Neuwirth, Brent Neale, Retrouvai, Jemma Wynne, Colette, and Zoë Chicco are some of the brands involved in this initiative. All of the brands involved will be donating between 10 and 30 per cent of their sales to the nonprofit.
In partnership with Kaas Tailorred, American retail giant Nordstrom will enlist members of its alterations teams in California, Washington, Oregon and Texas to create over 100,000 masks to be distributed to Providence Health & Services. In a press release, the company stated that it will also be supporting COVID-19 relief efforts at the Seattle Foundation, YouthCare and Hetrick Martin Institute, as well as "donating one percent of the sale of gift cards to support community grants and programs."
In an effort to support COVID-19 relief efforts, Madrid-born, New York-based fashion designer Alejandra Alonso Rojas intends to donate 30 percent of all sales to God's Love We Deliver and No Kid Hungry—two organizations that provide meals in the United States to those in need, until May 30.
The fashion retail giant which owns Zara, Massimo Dutti, and Stradivarius has produced and shipped a vast amount of surgical masks to coronavirus patients and medical professionals across Spain and will continue to do so. The company also plans to create hospital gowns in its factories too.
The Florida-based clothing brand is making a donation of two thousand N95 masks to Baptist Health hospitals across South Florida.
In the fight of COVID-19, Canada Goose will be making scrubs and patient gowns that'll be donated to hospitals across their home nation. On top of this, the outerwear brand will also be donating RMB 1 Million to the Wuhan Charity Federation.
John Elliott has pledged that 10% of sale proceeds up to US$100,000 will be donated to the UCLA Health Fund in addition to the US$10,000 donation they'll be making to the organisation.
Michael Costello and his team will be producing 200,000 cotton-nylon blend protective mask (with a 70-to-74 per cent air filtration effectiveness rate) that will be donated to healthcare workers, first responders and hospitals across Los Angeles.
The swimwear label will be producing from their Virginia factory and distributing protective equipment to medical professionals that are currently lacking the resources.
The Saks Fifth Avenue Foundation has pledged $600,000 to organizations that support COVID-19 relief effort which will be allocated to the NewYork-Presbyterian COVID-19 Patient Care Fund and non-profit organisations Bring Change to Mind and Girls Inc. respectively.
Calzedonia Group—the Italian conglomerate behind Calzedonia, Intimissimi, and Falconeri—has converted its facilities to produce medical masks and gowns. The group hopes to create 10,0000 masks a day and have since distributed a significant number to the Hospital of Verona.
In light of the current pandemic, Kendra Scott will donate 50% of its Everlyne bracelets sale proceeds to Feeding America that'll go towards providing "nutrition to the children that normally rely on the free National School Lunch programs." So far, the Texan jewellery brand has managed to provide 500,000 meals to kick-start this campaign. There will also be a virtual event hosted by the brand, Kendra Gives Back, that will supply online codes that give 20% of each sale to any charity of the purchaser's choosing, lasting up to 48 hours.
The contemporary fashion brand will be supporting Baby2Baby, an organisation that supplies diapers, formula, and hygiene products to those in need. As mentioned in a release, COS has already donated a total of 2.5 million "essential items to some of the most vulnerable families across the country."
Brooks Brothers announced that its factories in New York, North Carolina and Massachusetts will be dedicated to producing medical masks and gowns for healthcare workers. "We are deeply grateful to the medical personnel at the frontlines who are fighting the pandemic, and we are honored to do our part and join our peers in retail to provide protective masks that our health care system critically needs," said Claudio Del Vecchio, CEO of the company, in a statement. "I also want to thank our dedicated manufacturing employees who are returning to work as we reopen our factories to make this possible."
Rails will be donating 10,000 medical-grade and FDA-approved N95 masks to hospitals across Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, New Orleans, Atlanta, Detroit, and others. In addition, the fashion brand will be donating an undisclosed percentage of the sales on its website to No Kid Hungry and is currently selling reusable face masks designed for adults and children.
Grande Cosmetics has stated that it will donate 15% of all sales proceeds to Feeding America.