Five brands helping the national cause during COVID-19 crisis
The coronavirus is a global pandemic that has altered the way we live, with citizens told to remain home and self-quarantine, leading to closures of schools, businesses, and public facilities.
More pressing, hospitals are facing a shortage of essential equipment they need to treat patients including surgical gloves, gowns and face masks.
These five brands showcase some of the innovative, thoughtful and practical contributions those in the fashion industry are doing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Daniel Fletcher
Fashion designer Daniel Fletcher has begun creating face masks for his grandmother's care home.
Fletcher is best known for featuring in the hit Netflix show Next in Fashion, took to Instagram to urge people to get sewing to help prevent the spread of the deadly disease.
In his post, Fletcher also stated that his Next in Fashion "comrade" Ashton Michael had created the pattern, which he had used to sew a number of masks for the care home.
The pattern and instruction has been shared on his website, so others can make their own masks and contribute to protecting those in need.
Bezo London
Women’s t-shirt brand Bezo London has confirmed it will be donating 75% of sales from its new Zodiac Collection to the NHS.
Made in the UK, the t-shirts featureHand-drawn Zodiac Constellation designs, embellished with caviar beading and coloured stitching.
Annie with Alex
Annie with Alex are a mother and daughter collaboration brand set up in 2017, selling hand made bags at craft fairs and events across the UK. With large scale events across the UK facing cancellation, Annie With Alex found themselves at a loose end.
After the brand reached to their customers with the question was simple “if you work in the NHS/ care homes, What accessory would help make your life easier on the front line?” - they received one consistent result: something to stop ears from getting sore with consistent use of PPE.
Annie and Alex decided to create headbands with a button on each side to attach a face masks to, as opposed to directly pulling on the ears.
In a statement to TheIndustry.fashion, Annie said: “We gratefully appreciate all of the NHS and key workers during this time and if we can make their life a little easier then we feel like we are also playing our part in fighting COVID-19”
To date Annie with Alex has already delivered over 50 headbands to 5 different counties around the UK and with orders consistently streaming in.
Christopher Kane
To limit the amount of people buying medical masks which are needed by the NHS, Christopher Kane is sending out free craft packs for the general public to make their own face masks from past season fabrics.
UK residents can email [email protected] with your full name and postal address to receive a pack.
Allbirds
In March 2020, Allbirds were offering 2,000 front line NHS staff a free pair of shoes, with the sustainable footwear brands generosity aiming to show their appreciation for NHS staff members.
Sandeep Verma, Managing Director of Europe, Allbirds told TheIndustry.fashion: “We admire everything the NHS is doing for our communities. It's a small way of saying thank you and providing comfort for the long hours they’re putting in to keep us safe and healthy.”
The company have now opened up a new "Wool Hotline", a free-phone number which people can call up to chat on if they feel isolated, or listen to relaxing sounds of sheep.
UK residents can reach the free-phone on 0800 141 3370.
The phone number will also play host to a number of special guest speakers and brand co-founders Tim Brown and Joey Zwillinger over the next few weeks.
