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Rihanna’s Charitable Foundation Donates $5 Million to Coronavirus Relief
Rihanna’s Clara Lionel Foundation has donated $5 million to Direct Relief, Feeding America, Partners in Health, The World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund, the International Rescue Committee, and more to help during the Coronavirus crisis. The funds will support local food banks serving at-risk communities and the elderly in the United States; acceleration of testing and care in countries like Haiti and Malawi, as well as the mobilization of resources and additional capacity and support for Native communities; protective equipment for frontline health workers and diagnostic labs, the establishment and maintenance of intensive care units, and acceleration of the development of vaccines and other therapies across the globe; healthcare worker training, virus prevention and containment in countries that will be on the frontlines of the COVID-19 response; and distribution of critical respiratory supplies.
Sales of Luxury Goods Surge in South Korea as Coronavirus Numbers Continue to Rise (Korea Times)
Customers wearing face masks lined up outside of luxury fashion brand stores in Seoul over the weekend, ready to shop. “A saleswoman said they were not allowing people in who weren’t wearing face masks and everyone has to wash their hands in a sterilizing solution before entering the department store,” wrote the Kroea Times. “She added that the virus had not affected sales, in fact, had become busier dealing with customers under strict guidelines due to the COVID-19 outbreak.” While many shopping centers in Seoul are reporting overall losses in the past month, the sale of luxury goods is actually up.
CFDA Asks Fashion Industry to Start Making Medical Masks (Instagram)
Yesterday, The Council of Fashion Designers of America reached out to its members asking them to help provide essential material goods such as medical masks, gowns, and gloves to city and state agencies in need. “If you have a facility and/or teams who are able to produce essential goods or can supply machinery, components, or materials for these products, please reach out to the following,” they wrote on Instagram.
Click here to help.
At the same time, luxury conglomerate Kering has purchased 3 million surgical masks, which it will import from China and distribute to French Health services. Kering brands Balenciaga and YSL are also now manufacturing masks. LVMH has ordered 10 million masks from a Chinese supplier, which will be delivered in the coming days. The order will be repeated every week for at least the next four weeks.
People to Stop Getting Tested for Coronavirus in New York and California (Washington Post)
“Health officials in New York, California and other hard-hit parts of the country are restricting coronavirus testing to health care workers and the severely ill,” writes the Washington Post. “The battle to contain the virus is lost and the country is moving into a new phase of the pandemic response.”
Retail Industry Reaches Out to White House for Help (Vogue)
The CFDA and 90 other business groups including the National Retail Federation, the Accessories Council, and the Fashion Footwear Association of New York, sent a letter to Trump urging econimic stabilizing action. “The economic harm from social distancing and mandatory store closures is real,” they wrote. “Layoffs and economic hardship will surely follow, particularly for smaller, specialty retailers and brands. The biggest single issue facing the industry right now is liquidity, and federal stimulus efforts must be swift and flexible enough to address the urgent need for access to credit to keep these businesses afloat.”
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