Luxury fashion giants retool factories to produce medical supplies amid pandemic

In response to COVID-19, prominent European luxury brands have redirected their production efforts towards hand sanitizers, masks, and protective equipment for healthcare professionals. Following French President Emmanuel Macron's address on March 16, LVMH swiftly manufactured 15 tons of hand sanitizer and procured 40 million masks from China within 72 hours. Hermès began sanitizer production at its Vaudreuil facility, while L'Oréal's La Roche-Posay distributed disinfectant throughout Europe. Kering repurposed Balenciaga and Yves Saint Laurent factories for mask production, acquiring three million masks from China. Gucci aims to provide 1.1 million masks and 55,000 gowns for Italy, and Prada will create 110,000 masks and 80,000 gowns. In Spain, Inditex and Mango took action, and Uniqlo ordered 10 million masks. Additionally, US brands like New Balance and Ralph Lauren joined the efforts.