4 minute read
The Italian Fashion System is Taking Action.
By Professor Costanza Menchi, Fashion Merchandising and Communication Made in Italy Program Leader
On February 21st 2020, when the stories about the first cases of COVID-19 in the Lombardy region began circulating, I, like many others was on my way to Milan to attend the Women’s FW 20-21 Fashion Week. What happened over the next few days, weeks, and months has been a challenge for all of us. No one was expecting such a huge global crisis to ensue, changing our lives forever.
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My schedule, which included attending fashion shows, events, presentations and press conferences, was super busy. I was very excited because I had a lot of projects and meetings organized to discuss and plan our FSU Fashion Merchandising and Communication course, with the hope of offering great and unique opportunities to our students. In the past, Milan has always been exciting during these events, as it is a city full of energy, and creativity. Just walking around is so inspiring: the architecture, exhibitions and places to see are always projected into the future. After the Expo in 2015, the city has achieved a starring role in the International scenario: tourism has grown, big infrastructure projects have seen the renovation of industrial and social spaces, sustainable projects and attention to the environment have flourished into concrete initiatives though green architecture, including the improvement of public transportation and shared mobility. Let’s not forget that the city will host the 2026 Olympic Games.
The atmosphere this time was not only unusual, it was surreal. There were fewer people around, and with the passing of time we all became conscious that the situation was evolving rapidly, becoming more and more serious. On Sunday February 23rd, the first designer who decided to hold his fashion show behind closed doors was Mr. Giorgio Armani, to support the government’s initiatives in safeguarding the public’s health. The show was streamed live on digital platforms.
We all are aware of what happened afterwards, and how things evolved incredibly quickly. On March 9th, the Government of Italy under Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte imposed national lockdown measures.
The majority of the Italian fashion labels have rapidly converted their production and supply chains to aid in the battle against COVID-19. Salvatore Ferragamo, in its laboratories in Florence, has been manufacturing and donating 100,00 TNT antibacterial masks, providing 50,000 bottles of hand sanitizer and 3,000 FPP1 masks to the local healthcare units in an agreement with the Region of Tuscany. Kering Group and its Houses, including Gucci, has collectively donated US$1 million to the CDC in the United States to support the valiant efforts of healthcare workers on the frontline in the US and Latin America, by funding the provision of personal protective equipment and other vital supplies. This contribution follows those already made by Kering and its Houses in Italy, France, and China – to the Hubei Red Cross Foundation – in recent weeks, and the production of over one million surgical masks and gowns for healthcare personnel to help fight the spread of the virus. Kering contributes to a Common Thread, the CFDA/ Vogue Fashion Fund as well as Kerby Jean-Raymond’s ‘Your Friends in New York want to Help’ program, to aid the American fashion community impacted by the pandemic.
In Florence, the small medium size artisanal producers and laboratories are also constantly contributing with by sewing surgical masks, donating as much as they can to solidarity projects, volunteering, and supporting many initiatives providing assistance to hospitals, and those who are fighting in the front line.
Costanza Menchi takes a selfie of her in her mask.
Italia We are With You is a major solidarity project created by Associates of the Fashion Industry. The project enables the special Commission for the Emergency and the Civil Protection Authority to donate ventilators and other essential equipment, like medical surgical masks, testing reagents and protective clothing, to meet the growing requirements of the country’s healthcare system, The Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (CNMI) is in constant touch with the coordinators of the Italia We are With You project. The medical equipment is provided to all the hospitals in need, starting from the temporary hospital in the former Fiera Milano area, serving as a resuscitation center for Lombardy and the rest of Italy. Each member of the CNMI contributes to the project by donating to the Civil Protection Authority an amount not lower than their annual membership fee. The non-associated brands donate an equivalent amount, while the Associations donate the amount they raised. The list of who has joined is constantly updated on the website cameramoda.it.
The equipment is indispensable for guaranteeing the survival of critical patients and it is, at the moment in which we are writing, very hard to come by due to the global emergency. The CNMI and Chic Investment Group, the CNMI’s Chinese partner, with the support of Ernst & Young’s China and Italy international teams, directly facilitated the cooperation between the Italian Civil Protection Authority and the SINOPHARM (China’s largest medical group) for medical and technical supplies arriving in Italy from China.
In such an unprecedented situation, navigating through such troubled times, a common sense of solidarity has become stronger than ever. All the Italian fashion houses continuing to act every day with concrete efforts, in contributing to citizens’ safety and well-being as the first priority. As we navigate the crisis together, by finding solutions, and collaborating, we meet the new spring season of rebirth, under the positive light of a brand new Renaissance. We shall overcome this together.
