The fashion industry will likely be one of the most financially affected by this pandemic. Already, brands have either gone on hiatus for undisclosed yet obvious reasons, while other folks have been furloughed or fired entirely. Amidst the uncertainty of what the future holds, many Latinx-owned companies and allies—small, street, luxury, established and everything in between—are lending a hand as best they can.
Meanwhile, brands like Prada, Chanel and Estée Lauder have pivoted the focus of their production efforts to provide medical supplies (either masks or hand sanitizer) to those on the frontline of this health war. European fashion houses like Kering (Balenciaga, Yves Saint Laurent) and LMVH (Dior, Louis Vuitton) are reportedly producing masks for Italy and China respectively. Spanish brands like Inditex (Pull & Bear and Massimo Dutti) and Mango are also donating fabric masks.
On Thursday, Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti reportedly encouraged everyday constituents to wear masks while outdoors. He was the first to do so. By Saturday, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other states like New York followed suit. While N95 masks can and should be reserved for medical professionals, cloth masks (hand-sewn) are becoming a go-to alternative, though not direct substitutes in terms of effectiveness. That being said, everyone is doing what they can with what they have.
Here is a running list of folks to be inspired by and support:
Johanna Hernandez
Not all heroes wear capes.
BornxRaised
The main tees in the “Stay Together From Far Away” line are sold out but they still have a few things in the collection you can snag to help out those on the frontline in LA.
Equihua
Win-win. A pretty good jacket to wear while you watch Netflix’s “Tiger King” en casita, if you ask me.
Willy Chavarria
Willy is encouraging everyone to donate to a good cause, No Kid Hungry, and promises to do the same.