Louis Vuitton Sets Fundraising Drive to Help India
HELPING HANDS: Alarmed at the speed with which COVID-19 is ravaging India, Louis Vuitton has pledged $360,000 to UNICEF — in addition it has offered to match all employee donations through May 17.
The funds are earmarked for UNICEF’s efforts to stem the spread of infections in India, equipping front-line health workers, and providing access to testing and oxygen.
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Vuitton has 28,000 employees worldwide to mobilize behind the fundraising drive.
Since striking up a partnership with the United Nation’s Children’s Fund in 2016, Vuitton and its employees have raised $13 million for the fund via gala charity events and via sales of its Silver Lockit jewelry, including bracelets designed with Sophie Turner and Virgil Abloh, Vuitton’s artistic director of men’s wear.
The Lockit, inspired by the tumbler lock invented by Georges Vuitton in 1890, was chosen as a symbol of sealing one’s promise to help children at risk. Each bracelet retails for $465, of which $100 is donated to UNICEF.
India has been hit by a surge of COVID-19 infections during March and April, overwhelming the health system and leaving patients desperate for oxygen and other supplies.
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