In response to COVID-19, we shine the light on some of the fashion and beauty brands helping countries across the world during the pandemic.
L'Occitane
L’Occitane has now donated over 10,000 hand creams to NHS and HSE staff across the UK & Ireland following on from their initial campaign of giving NHS workers a complimentary 30ml hand cream of their choice (prior to store closures) to soothe their sore hands from frequent handwashing during the COVID-19 campaign. Further to this, the L’OCCITANE Group, has decided to reassign some of its facilities to manufacture 70,000 litres of hand sanitiser.
Burberry Burberry announced that they have switched their global supply chain network to fast track the delivery of 100,000 surgical masks for use by medical staff working in the NHS. Their factory in Castleford, Yorkshire is now producing non-surgical gowns and masks for patients in UK hospitals. The brand has not stopped there, they are also funding research by the University of Oxford into a single-dose vaccine to tackle the virus and have stepped in to help tackle food poverty in the UK by donating to charities FareShare and The Felix Project.
Kurt Geiger Kurt Geiger staff have left the closed stores to volunteer within their local NHS hospital. The brand has also distributed £100 Kurt Geiger vouchers to NHS staff (offering 55 vouchers per hospital. CEO Neil Clifford has given up his salary for a year to help the business through the COVID-19 crisis.
YATAY
Vegan sneaker brand YATAY has pledged to donate a pair of their shoes to the doctors at Hospital Humanitas in Milan, for every pair they sell, for the foreseeable future.
Founder Umberto de Marco speaks “Coronavirus has had a terrible impact on my city: every day doctors are risking their life, working continuously, to help other people. We have been incredibly moved by the show of solidarity in our country and although we are still a small brand, we want to make a gesture to show our appreciation. As long as our country is still under the cloud of COVID-19, we must all come together to do whatever we can for our heroic healthcare professionals.”
Claridges
Claridge's hotel opened its doors this weekend to host up to 40 key workers and are supporting NHS workers by providing meals. They have plans to roll this idea out to their sister hotels including the Berkeley.
Tod's The Della Valle family, who owns Italian leather goods brand Tod's, has allocated the sum of €5 million to support the family members of health personnel who lost their lives in the fight against COVID-19. The family has also made the donation on behalf of their employees. The administration of the fund will be entrusted to the Protezione Civile and will be called Sempre con Voi.
Freya Rose
Freya Rose is giving anyone who is engaged in the NHS a free pair of pearl earrings, with the retail value of 10k. The brand is also offering a discount to NHS workers. For more information please visit freyarose.com.
Wella Professionals and OPI nails
Wella Professionals and professional nail brand OPI are donating essential items to help the healthcare systems in the UK and Ireland. The brands are collectively donating more than 120,000 items for hospitals in the UK and Ireland including 110,000 pairs of gloves, 7,300 shampoos and conditioners and 4,500 hand care products.
Mac Cosmetics
MAC Cosmetics has announced that its long-standing VIVA GLAM campaign, which supports organisations and programmes providing essential needs and services, will dedicate $10 million USD to 250 organisations all over the world that are on the front lines helping people at higher risk during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Carhartt Carhartt has turned its factories in Kentucky and Tennessee to producing 50,000 gowns and 2.5 million medical masks to help frontline medical staff do their jobs safely.
Vitabiotics
Vitabiotics is supporting all 5,300 NHS staff of The London Ambulance Service, with 3 months worth of Ultra Vitamin D 1000IU. The brand said: "They are absolutely at the frontline of this war against COVID-19, and we know from their Well-being Support Officer that they critically have large numbers of front line staff off sick and isolating and many more who have relocated out of family homes into hotel rooms."
Brooks Brothers
America's oldest retailer, Brooks Brothers has announced that it is in the process of converting its New York, North Carolina and Massachusettes factories from manufacturing ties, shirts and suits to now making masks and gowns. Brooks Brothers plan to use these facilities to produce up to 150,000 masks per day on an ongoing basis, to help increase access to protective gear for health care workers.