Coronavirus: Ralph Lauren to make face masks and medical gowns
Luxury fashion house Ralph Lauren (RL) to make face masks and medical gowns in a bid to help support the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
The group’s charity arm, the Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation, said in a statement that it will start making 250,000 masks and 25,000 isolation medical gowns in the US and that it will also be donating $10m (£8.2m) towards helping the global battle against the spread of Covid-19.
“We recognise that this is an unprecedented, multifaceted crisis which demands different responses for different needs in different places. That is why we are funding multiple activities to support our teams, our partners and our communities around the world,” said Patrice Louvet, president and chief executive officer.
“As we move through this challenging time, we are focused on continuing to be the beacon of optimism and unity that Ralph Lauren and our brands have always been.”
The US now has more confirmed cases of coronavirus than any other country in the world.
Data from Johns Hopkins University said the US has now overtaken China and Italy with more than 85,500 positive tests. In comparison, China has 81,782 cases and Italy has 80,589. The US death toll related to Covid-19 has now reached almost 1,300.
Read more: FTSE 100 opens lower as US Covid-19 cases overtake China
US president Donald Trump predicted the nation would get back to work "pretty quickly” although US jobless claims have skyrocketed.
Ralph Lauren is the latest in a long line of fashion houses that are using their money and resources to help tackle the coronavirus pandemic. Luxury goods giant LVMH Moët Hennessy (MC.PA) said last month that it has prepared its perfume and cosmetics production sites to manufacture hand sanitiser.
The French multinational corporation, which is famous for its Louis Vuitton, Givenchy, and Christian Dior brands, said that the hydroalcoholic gel will be delivered for free to French authorities and the largest hospital system in Europe — the Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris.
“Through this initiative, LVMH intends to help address the risk of a lack of product in France and enable a greater number of people to continue to take the right action to protect themselves from the spread of the virus,” the company said in a statement.
“LVMH will continue to honour this commitment for as long as necessary, in connection with the French health authorities.”
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