Prada, COS and Louis Vuitton are among the leading fashion brands that are retooling to manufacture surgical face masks in response to the shortage caused by Covid-19.
Yves Saint Laurent and Balenciaga have begun production of cotton face masks. Other brands including COS, Zara and Mango have also committed to making the surgical masks, while luxury conglomerate LVMH (Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton) has promised to donate millions of masks and medical-grade respirators to replenish dwindling supplies.
Prada to supply over 100,000 medical masks
Prada has announced that it will be producing 80,000 medical overalls and 110,000 masks in its factory in Montone in Umbria. These will be allocated to healthcare personnel in Tuscany, following a request from the Italian region's government. The company is making loose-fitting cloth masks that cover the nose and mouth, offering one-way protection to capture bodily fluid leaving the wearer. Although these masks can't provide full coverage against coronavirus they can stop coughs and remind the wearer not to touch their face.
Los Angeles Apparel founder Dov Charney and American fashion designer Christian Siriano have also announced that their brands will be making cotton masks.
While Charney hopes his factory can produce 300,000 masks and 50,000 gowns in a week, Siriano has reassigned 10 seamstresses in New York to make a few thousand masks per week.
Balenciaga and Yves Saint Laurent to begin mask production
French luxury group Kering ha...