Fashion rises to the Covid-19 challenge

To combat the pandemic, the fashion industry has come up with an array of initiatives. Prada’s factory in Perugia, is making masks and they will start daily deliveries to Tuscan hospitals of 80,000 overalls and 110,000 masks by April 6.

Kering - a French multinational corporation and conglomerate headquartered in Paris specialising in luxury goods is making Balenciaga’s and Yves Saint Laurent’s French workshops available to make masks for France. They are also shipping in three million masks from China. Designers Christian Siriano and Brandon Maxwell are making face masks and gowns for medical workers battling against Covid-19.

Also, LVMH has secured 40 million surgical face masks from a Chinese supplier for France (10 million a week); they are financing week one of donation process and have also devoted the production facilities of its perfume and division to making large quantities of hand sanitisers to be delivered free in France.

Adding on, footwear brand, Fizzy Goblet also collaborated with HelpAge India to distribute health kits. “We created health kits which included essential items such as sanitiser, handwash, preventive masks, Vitamin-C and Paracetamol tablets for those who need it the most but don’t have access to it,” confesses Laksheeta Govil founder of the label.

Also, designer Neeta Lulla made and distributed masks in Mumbai. “We made 600 masks and distributed them to as many people in our embroidery units besides taxi drivers and watchmen due to the onset of the pandemic,” says Lulla. Delhi-based designer Pallavi Mohan is making masks too. “We are coming up with 25,000 masks carefully created in a safe and healthy environment with some of our team members. This is our small effort to utilise our skills and ability while following the national lockdown orders,” says Mohan.