Gucci, Prada, Armani convert production to medical supplies for Italian hospitals

Italian fashion houses Gucci, Prada, and Armani are repurposing their manufacturing facilities to produce protective medical equipment for healthcare workers battling the COVID-19 pandemic. The Armani Group has converted all its Italian production plants to manufacture single-use gowns, following an earlier donation of €2 million to Italy's Civil Protection and several hospitals, including Luigi Sacco, San Raffaele, Istituto dei Tumori di Milan, Spallanzani in Rome, and hospitals in Bergamo, Piacenza, and Versilia. Prada, at the request of the Tuscany Region, has started producing 80,000 gowns and 110,000 masks at its Montone plant in Perugia province for regional medical staff. Gucci announced a €2 million donation to two crowdfunding campaigns: one in Italy supporting the Civil Protection Department in collaboration with Intesa Sanpaolo, and a global campaign for the WHO's COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund via Facebook's matchmaking initiative. Gucci invited its #GucciCommunity to contribute. The campaign, titled "We Are All In This Together," features an illustration by Rome-based artist MP5 depicting a person with a hand on their heart, symbolizing solidarity. Gucci's parent company Kering had previously made donations in China, Italy, and France, and announced production of over 1 million masks and gowns for Tuscany. The initiatives highlight the fashion industry's pivot to support public health amid the crisis.