Fashion takes the field for the Coronavirus emergency

From Ermanno Scervino to Armani, from Dolce&Gabbana to Ferrari, Moncler, Etro, the Lvhm group. Fashion and the world of luxury are at the forefront of the battle

If this suspended and complex moment has one merit, it is that it makes us all feel on the same side. At the forefront of this social and cultural revolution are sectors such as fashion and luxury, which - forgetting their original meaning - take the field and reconvert their production alongside research and the health sector.

The examples in our country are numerous and excellent, in an unprecedented race of solidarity. Let's start very closely: Ermanno Scervino, after having purchased large quantities of suitable fabric, announced that he had converted the production of his Sartoria - which until a few days gave birth to the most precious garments of the Collection with a Haute Couture care - to make masks.

As Ermanno Scervino told us: "our desire is to help the community through the work of our seamstresses who are dedicating themselves to the production of masks and gowns that will be distributed free of charge to the local health facilities".

Gucci has also responded to the appeal of the Tuscan region for the production of masks and gowns for healthcare personnel: over 1,100,000 surgical masks and 55,000 gowns will be donated in the coming days. In recent weeks the company, in collaboration with the supply chain, has started the production of the required material.

In addition, Kering, its Italian brands and all those with significant activities in the country (Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Brioni, Kering Eyewear and Pomellato) have made a total donation of € 2 million, destined for some of the country's major health organizations and organizations located in four areas where the Group and the brands are most present, namely in the regions of Lombardy, Veneto, Tuscany and Lazio.

Let's go back to Tuscany with the Patrizia Pepe company, which has moved on two fronts: it has given its contribution with a donation and activated a fundraising campaign in favour of the Careggi University Hospital. "The Coronavirus emergency has forced us to stop our daily activities, but it must not stop us from acting with awareness and courage. By all possible means we must remain united. We believe that now more than ever there is a need to join forces to return to our lives, stronger than ever before." Patrizia Bambi and Claudio Orrea made a joint statement.

Abroad, the Spanish group Inditex, owner of Zadar, converts part of its production to the manufacture of protective equipment and gowns. Target: 300,000 units, available for doctors, nurses and healthcare personnel in Spain. Not masks but disinfectant gels: the French group Lvmh, known above all for some fashion brands such as Louis Vuitton, Dior, Fendi, dedicates its perfumes and cosmetics unit in France to produce exclusively disinfectant gel to be distributed throughout the French territory, which will be delivered free of charge to the 39 hospitals of the Public Assistance Hôpitaux de Paris. 

The Armani Group has converted all its Italian plants to the production of disposable gowns for healthcare workers dealing with coronavirus. But that's not all, Giorgio Armani was in fact the first among the big names in the made in Italy and world fashion universe to make his contribution with an important donation: 1.250 million euros to help manage the Coronavirus emergency. to the Luigi Sacco, San Raffaele and Istituto dei Tumori hospitals in Milan, Spallanzani in Rome and in support of civil protection activities. 

He was echoed by Donatella Versace and her daughter with a personal donation of EUR 200,000; the Benetton family's Edizioni Srl Group has allocated EUR 3 million to the Ca' Foncello hospitals in Treviso, Luigi Sacco in Milan, Lazzaro Spallanzani and Agostino Gemelli polyclinic in Rome. Bulgari has invested in research, fundamental alongside emergency management, with a donation to enable the purchase of a machine for the prevention and treatment of the virus. 

Research also for Dolce&Gabbana: the designers have in fact decided to allocate funds to Humanitas University to support a study on the immune system's responses to the coronavirus coordinated by immunologist Alberto Mantovani. Etro also made a donation to the virology laboratory of the Sacco Hospital for the fight against the coronavirus, involving a series of influencers and celebrities in a virtual campaign, thanks to the Milano never stops t-shirt, which naturally reveres the dynamism of thought. 

Important donations for world scientific research also from international groups such as Kering, already on the front line for the Italian emergency, as we pointed out above- and Moët Hennessy - Louis Vuitton, (Lvhm), who group together the world's luxury brands.
Let's conclude by returning to Italy: the extraordinary success of the fundraising of Chiara Ferragni and Fedez, which exceeded 3 million euros; Ferrari, which said it was ready to make its factories and employees available to accelerate the production of lung respirators for intensive care; and last but not least Moncler, which donated 10 million euros to start the project promoted by the Lombardy Region, which provides for the construction of a hospital with over 400 intensive care units within the former Milan Trade Fair in a very short time.

"Milan is a city that has given us all an extraordinary present. We cannot and will not abandon it. It is the duty of all of us to give back to the city what it has given us until now" comments Remo Ruffini, CEO of the Group. And he sums up the thoughts of all of us