The French luxury brand responds to the government’s plea to make more protective gear for the front line medical workers.
Fashion houses have begun re-purposing their workshops to help curb the spread of COVID-19 after the French government issued a plea for companies to manufacture medical equipment for front line medical workers as global panic buying and hoarding has led to shortages.
Louis Vuitton has recently announced that its workshops will be producing protective gear, joining other high-end brands including Prada, Balenciaga, Gucci, Saint Laurent and Zara for those fighting in the front line.
Three hundred in- house LV artisans will be voluntarily producing hundreds of thousands of non-surgical masks across their workshops and factories in Marsaz and Saint- Donat, Saint- Pourcain, Ducey and Sainte- Florence.
“As an important French House, Louis Vuitton wishes to commit at its level to produce face-masks that will be distributed in the region, at no charge for those who are most exposed. This production is the fruit of a wonderful collaboration with the regional sector of the textile industry,” Michael Burke, Louis Vuitton Chairman and CEO said in a statement.
The fashion label collaborated with Mode Grand Ouest, a local textile industry to supply one of the main materials for the masks. CEO Michael Burke reassured the masks and gowns will be made under strict new hygiene and social distancing rules, and a nurse on site to teach staff how to put on masks and wash their hands correctly.
With the rising demand and panic buying, a global supply for personal protective equipment is disrupted. We should all be doing our part in battling this global pandemic through making donations to manufacturing these essential supplies.
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