The Covid-19 has hit the world and caused a situation unprecedented in recent centuries. Health systems collapsed with patients, companies closed, people confined … In the face of this new panorama, many people are doing their bit. Among others, companies and personalities from the world of fashion, beauty and the hotel sector fight against the coronavirus through donations, health material or their own images for the benefit of others;
The luxury sector reconverts its factories
The luxury sector is one of the most committed to this fight. Its infrastructures and business volume allow it to do so. In this effort, conversion is playing an important role. The LVMH group has adapted three of its perfume and cosmetics factories to start producing hand sanitizer gel, which it will donate to hospitals.
The Kering group is preparing the workshops of Saint Laurent, Balenciaga and Gucci to start manufacturing approved masks and other healthcare materials. In fact, Gucci has committed to manufacture 1.1 million surgical masks and 55,000 gowns for healthcare workers in Italy, one of the countries most affected by the pandemic. Also in Italy, Prada is producing 80,000 medical gowns and 110,000 masks for healthcare workers in the Tuscany region. Both products are manufactured at its Perugia workshop, which is open only for that purpose, and will be delivered daily until April 6;
Financial donations from the world of fashion and beauty against the coronavirus
Another way of helping that many of these large companies are opting for are financial donations. The first ones were made when the situation in Europe was not yet unsustainable. The LVMH and Kering groups donated more than 2 million euros and nearly a million to the China Red Cross Foundation to help alleviate the shortage of medical supplies in the province of Wuhan, epicenter of the virus. Other major brands have contributed to the same organization. Donatella Versace has contributed 140,000 euros, L’Oréal, 650,000 and Estée Lauder, 225,000.
They later continued in Europe. Kering has donated money to four major Italian hospital foundations in Lombardy, Venice, Tuscany and Lazio. While in France, they contribute to the Pasteur Research Institute. Inditex has teamed up with four other Ibex35 big four (BBVA, Iberdrola, Santander and Telefónica) to donate 150 million to Spanish public health care. And Prada has donated 6 intensive care units, two to each of the three largest hospitals in Milan;
Donations of sanitary material
In some cases financial donationsare materialized in the form of medical equipment or hospital facilities. The LVMH group has already bought 10 million masks to donate in France. A contribution that will be repeated for 4 more weeks up to a total of 40 million masks. While Kering, while its factories are not ready for production, will deliver three million masks to the French health services. In Spain, donations of masks and gowns from Inditex have already arrived from China. In addition, the company has made its huge logistics network available to the government.
The role of influencers and their crowdfunding campaigns
It’s not just the big names in the fashion and beauty world who are fighting the coronavirus. Many celebrities are doing their bit, including influencers like Chiara Ferragni. The Italian has become, along with her husband, rapper Fedez, a symbol of the struggle in Italy. Together they started a fundraising campaign for the San Raffaele hospital in Milan. They have already raised more than 4 million euros, the first of them in the first 24 hours. With the money they have managed to build a completely new intensive care unit in a sports center in the Italian capital.
In addition, Ferragni has taken advantage of the situation to donate to the cause also the profits of its special collection with Oreo, which has already sold out on its website. But not only that, the couple has become a symbol of the fight against the pandemic in Italy, encouraging citizens to stay at home and with live on Instagram every day with guest artists.
Charity actions starring celebrities
In Spain, a multitude of influencers are fighting the coronavirus through their own campaigns. Verdeliss has stopped production of her fashion brand Green Cornerss and created a network of volunteers to make masks. Gala González has started afundraising for the Asociación Benéfica Geriátrica Ibérica, which will use the money to purchase medical supplies and food for the elderly in need. Also Dulceida and his wife, Alba Paul, are at the head of the #SomosUno campaign to raise funds in Spain for coronavirus care and research. And these are just a few.
Outside Europe, Rihanna has donated five million dollars to different organizations through her foundation, the Clara Lionel Foundation, which she created in 2012. The money will go to food banks in the U.S., medical tests and supplies in Haiti and Malawi, and vaccine research at centers around the world;
This is just a small sample of the solidarity that this situation has awakened in the world of fashion and beauty. We left many out. Companies (in this and other sectors), celebrities and ordinary people are fighting against the coronavirus, helping to overcome this situation as soon as possible and minimize its effects. In fact, another sector we would like to highlight is the hotel sector, one of the hardest hit economically.
Beyond fashion and beauty: luxury hotels in Barcelona lend their facilities
- In Barcelona, the W Barcelona and Expo Hotel Barcelona hotels have also joined the cause, as have many others throughout the country. The W Barcelona has made 50 of its beds available to the Hospital del Sagrado Corazón, donated 2,000 gloves to the Hospital de Mar and distributed perishable food to two social entities in the city: Barcelona Forum District and Nutrition Without Borders. In addition, the hotel will draw on its emblematic facade a heart every day from 20:00 to 21:00 hours in homage to all those who work to improve this situation as soon as possible: health personnel, police, food companies, volunteers, all those who contribute to stop the contagion by staying at home, etc.
For its part, the Expo Hotel Barcelona, owned by Selenta Group, has medicalized its 423 rooms to accommodate both patients and the Hospital Clínic professionals who will attend them;
Cleaning, laundry and catering companies with extensive experience in the health sector have been set up to care for those affected, who are expected to start arriving as of tonight.
Of course, the world of fashion, beauty and hospitality are fighting against the coronavirus with contributions of all kinds. There are many who are collaborating with the cause, many more than those mentioned here. Hopefully this wave of solidarity will help to alleviate this situation as soon as possible;
