FASHION FORCE
THE LUXURY FASHION INDUSTRY HAS ONCE AGAIN PROVEN IT’S MORE THAN JUST LOGOS AND LEATHERGOODS, STEPPING UP TO HELP IN THE FACE OF A CRISIS
Luxury design houses are lending their skills to help healthcare workers.
watch any coverage from the European fashion collections each season and it can seem like a rolling parade of fantasy garments and frivolous fun, both on and off the catwalk. But the big business behind some of our favourite labels is a well-oiled machine that not only draws on centuries of heritage and know-how but is well-equipped to turn on a dime.
Such was the case in March when French luxury cosmetics and fashion company LVMH announced it would be using its cosmetic and perfume facilities – including those producing fragrance for Dior, Givenchy and Guerlain – to manufacture hand sanitiser to be donated to French health authorities and the Assistance Publique Hôpitaux De Paris, the largest hospital system in Europe. The aim: to help address the risk of a shortage in France and enable people to continue to protect themselves from the spread of coronavirus.
Not long after, the jewel in the LVMH crown, the legendary Louis Vuitton, repurposed its ready-to-wear atelier in Paris to create hospital gowns to be provided to frontline healthcare workers across the city who continued to fight the pandemic. From early April, 20 volunteer artisans began working to create thousands of gowns in approved fabrics to send off each evening to six Parisian hospitals, while volunteer pattern-cutters simultaneously worked from home.
“We are proud to be able to help healthcare professionals at our level and put our know-how at the disposal of the Hôpitaux De Paris to create gowns for medical staff,” said Michael Burke, Louis Vuitton chairman and CEO.
And while it’s possible the medical staff receiving the gowns had never been more fashionably decked out while making the rounds, the initiative speaks to a deeper movement in fashion that has seen designers and design houses become more mindful of their place in society and cognisant of the power they wield. When it comes to making a difference, the fashion industry has the potential to be a force to be reckoned with – whether that be in joining the fight against an overwhelming global pandemic, moving towards more ecofriendly production and sustainable supply chains, or creating more inclusive narratives for a new decade. It’s a trend we can all get behind.
“WE ARE PROUD TO USE OUR know-how TO CREATE GOWNS FOR medical STAFF”