Across the globe, stores and restaurants are closing and people are living in isolation. Life feels less like reality and more like a simulation a little bit every day.
But while times are gloom and the future is uncertain, it’s great to see the world banding together. Bright moments are happening across the globe. In Toronto, we’ve seen local institutions pivot their businesses to provide people with hand sanitizer and grocery stores putting those most at-risk first. And across the beauty, fashion, and retail industries, we’re seeing conglomerates step up their efforts to help stop the spread of Coronavirus, too.
Here is how 10 major brands and retailers are doing their part during the COVID-19 outbreak:
LVMH
Luxury conglomerate LVMH was the first on the fashion and beauty front to offer up its support in helping to prevent the spread of Coronavirus. On March 15, the company announced that it would turn its perfumes and cosmetics business into a hand sanitizer manufacturer. LVMH has committed to deliver the hand sanitizer it creates free of charge to French health authorities for “as long as necessary” to help “enable a greater number of people to continue to take the right action to protect themselves from the spread of the virus.”
L’Oréal
Under the L’Oréal beauty brand, La Roche-Posay said it would provide hand sanitizer to institutions in Europe that need it the most such as main partnering pharmacies, hospitals, and nursing homes. Garnier, also under the L’Oréal beauty brand, will distribute hand sanitizer to its European clients’ food distribution channels. In a statement to WWD, L’Oréal Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jean-Paul Agon said, “Through these gestures, L’Oréal wishes to express its appreciation, support and solidarity with all those who mobilize with extraordinary courage and abnegation to fight against this pandemic.”
Los Angeles Apparel
Another of the retailers donating to COVID-19 prevention efforts is Los Angeles Apparel. In a statement made through Instagram, the company’s controversial owner Dov Charney (formerly of American Apparel) offered help to the municipal, state, and federal agencies. “Our experienced workforce and management team of over 450 people are ready and able to produce masks or medical products for any government agency,” Charney said.
Zara
Fast fashion behemoth Inditex — the owner of Zara, Massimo Dutti, and more — is also lending its workforce in the battle to prevent COVID-19’s spread. As one of the retailers donating to COVID-19 prevention efforts, the company’s factories and logistics teams will help the Spanish government by donating masks for patients and medical workers, stating to Vogue, that it “will make a delivery at least once a week of materials we purchase directly.” As of now, the company has donated 10,000 protective face masks and expects to have 300,000 surgical masks ready by March 21.
Moncler
In a statement on Instagram, Moncler’s Chairman and CEO Remo Ruffini announced that the company would donate €10 million towards the construction of a hospital in Milan with 400 extensive care units. He said, “Milan is a city that has given us all an extraordinary time. We cannot and must not abandon it. It is everyone’s duty to give back to the city that has given us so much.”
Giorgio Armani
Earlier in the month, Giorgio Armani donated €1.25 million to a number of Italian hospitals and institutions. According to WWD, “The Luigi Sacco and San Raffaele hospitals and the Istituto dei Tumori in Milan as well as the Istituto Lazzaro Spallanzani in Rome will benefit from the donation. The amount will additionally support the activities of Protezione Civile, the country’s civil defense.”
Kering
As reported by South China Morning Post, Kering — the luxury conglomerate that owns Gucci, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, and more — has donated 7.5 million yuan to the Red Cross Society Of China.
Versace
Versace’s Chief Creative Office Donatella Versace and her daughter Allegra Versace Beck have donated €200,000 to the San Raffaele hospital in Milan. In a statement, Versace said, “Our hearts go out to all those who have been affected by this disease and to all the doctors and medical staff who have been working heroically non-stop in the past weeks in the effort to take care of our loved ones.” The company has also donated 1 million yuan to The Chinese Red Cross Foundation.
Prada
According to Business Insider, Prada co-CEOs Muiccia Prada and Patrizio Bertelli, as well as Chairman Carlo Mazzi, have donated two resuscitation and complete intensive care units to hospitals in Milan.
Walmart
One of the big retailers donating to COVID-19 prevention efforts is Walmart. On March 17, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation announced a pledge of $25 million to help organizations on the front lines in fighting COVID-19. The large sum will be split between food banks and meal programs in America, as well as global efforts in preventing, identifying, and managing the outbreak.
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After 13 years of dressing some of Toronto’s most stylish men, a staple menswear retailer is closing its doors.
Theodore 1922, located just west of Bloor St. West and Spadina at 374 Bloor St. West, will be saying goodbye to the Annex neighbourhood. The closure marks an end of an era, as the strip transforms from a once-bustling garment district to a slew of student-friendly restaurants, cafes, and pubs.
While the boutique will, without a doubt, be missed by its long-time customers and fanbase, Theodore 1922 is going out with one last hurrah.
Theodore 1922 is hosting a massive store closing sale featuring stylish menswear, suits, and accessories
When it comes to searching fashion, Lyst is the go-to. And we’re not the only ones who think so.
The LVMH-backed fashion discovery platform saw 80 million shoppers from 120 countries on the website this year. In the past 12 months, Lyst tracked more than 100 million searches, which involved over 5 million products and 12,000 brands. Through their research, they were able to determine 2018’s hottest trends, Instagram brands, influencers, and logos.
Each category had interesting findings.
Serena Williams was an unexpected fashion influencer.
According to Lyst, her US Open Off-White x Nike outfit caused a spike in demand for black tennis outfits. Not so surprisingly, Kim Kardashian and her sister Kylie nabbed the top two spots for fashion-inspiring celebrities.
In terms of trends, “Dad” fashion saw a 439% spike in searches from the year prior. It was joined by trends like meme fashion, western cowboy, sports luxe, 90s/00s, neon, plastic, artsy, pre-Raphaelite prairie, and sustainability.
As we wrap up the year, perhaps the most interesting category is 2018’s most popular brand logos.
Logos were all the rage in 2018, and Lyst was able to capture the most-searched. Take a peek at which ones were on the top of shoppers’ minds, as well as what Lyst has to say about their popularity below.
10. Cèline
Instagram/@ilivanilli
“The new Celine under Hedi Slimane came with one controversial difference – the loss of the è accent in the logo. Searches for Philo-era Celine logo pieces immediately spiked on re-sale sites, especially the logo plastic grocery bag and the ‘Classic’ leather tote.”
9. Louis Vuitton
Instagram/@patricialehmann
“The classic LV monogram logo remains on the most wanted luxury motifs worldwide. Bags, wallets, and belts in the brown on brown monogram are consistently searched for by shoppers from all over the world, across both new and pre-owned pieces.”
8. Versace
Instagram/@versace
“Demand for the Vintage Logomania sandals and Logo Tribute slides meant searches for Versace footwear increased 59% year on year. Men’s and women’s jewelry featuring the iconic Medusa head logo was popular over the summer.”
7. Kappa
Instagram/@stefneyv
“From slides to track jackets, views of products featuring the Kappa logo were up 51% year on year.”
6. Gucci
Instagram/@lradwell
“The most wanted logo T-shirt of 2017, Gucci’s popularity continued into 2018. Their logo belt was the hottest product of 2018, and other goods emblazoned with Gucci (and Guccy) continue to drive millions of searches every month.”
5. Fendi
View this post on Instagram
“The FF ‘Zucca’ monogram was catapulted back into the spotlight in February when Kim Kardashian posted a photo of her wearing Fendi logoed tights along with a Fendi logoed shirt. Searches for Fendi logo pieces are up 70% year on year, across new and pre-owned luxury retailers.”
4. Prada
Instagram/@whatevbb
“As demand for the iconic Prada nylon accessories grew this year, searches for all Prada logo products — from pool slides to socks — increased worldwide.”
3. Fila
Instagram/@filausa
“2018 was a huge comeback year for the Italian sportswear giant. From logo emblazoned teddy coats to T-shirts, items with the Fila logo were viewed once every six seconds in May. A collaboration with Fendi gave the Fila logo further fashion kudos.”
2. Champion
Instagram/@sincerlyestherxo
“A series of collaborations with the likes of BEAMS, Beauty & Youth, Timberland, and End have kept the Champion logo front of mind for consumers, who are also searching for classic Champion logo pieces. From kimonos to fanny packs, the Champion logo was everywhere this year, search for more than 3,000 times a month.”
1. Supreme
Instagram/@aripetrou
“Supreme’s iconic red box logo is fashion’s hottest status symbol. From the +1000% search frenzy when sell-out collaborations launch, to the sky-high resale value of Supreme branded pieces, Supreme’s logo was the most wanted of 2018.”
Featured image: Instagram/@jenniferxlauren
American fashion brand Michael Kors Holdings has announced that a definitive agreement has been signed to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Italian luxury fashion house Gianni Versace SpA. The reported details of this deal see Kors purchase Versace for a sizeable $2.35 billion.
According to the people close to the deal, this acquisition will put one of the “glitziest” names in fashion in the hands of an American brand better known for affordable luxury.
John D. Idol, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Michael Kors Holdings Limited, said, “The acquisition of Versace is an important milestone for our group. Versace was founded in 1978. For over 40 years, Versace has represented the epitome of Italian fashion luxury, a testament to the brand’s timeless heritage. We are excited to have Versace as part of our family of luxury brands, and we are committed to investing in its growth.”
According to Idol, Donatella Versace will continue to lead the company’s creative vision.
“This is a very exciting moment for Versace,” said Donatella Versace. “It has been more than 20 years since I took over the company along with my brother Santo and daughter Allegra. I am proud that Versace remains very strong in both fashion and modern culture.”
According to WWD. In recent years, Versace has not made their sales marks and has essentially been struggling. The brand is overshadowed by Italian rival Gucci who has rapidly become one of the most productive fashion brands as of late.
Source: Wall Street Journal
Our friends at Retail-Insider are reporting that storied Italian luxury brand – Versace will open its Canadian flagship store in the Yorkville neighbourhood in early 2019. This will be Versace’s second store in Toronto and Versace’s third store in total.
The new Versace flagship will span two-levels and will be approximately 3,000 square feet. Located at 106 Yorkville Avenue the new store will be housed between the new Brunello Cucinelli and the updated Jimmy Choo store.
Versace opened it’s first standalone store in the summer of 2014 at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre, followed by a 1,875 square foot boutique in Vancouver in the Alberni Street neighbourhood.
We will update you as more news of Versace’s flagship store arises.
Our next Style Spotlight is best known for getting the party started.
Allow us to introduce you to Conor Cutz.
The Toronto-based DJ can do more than just play music. He’s able to read any crowd and turn it into a you should have been there-type of party. In the past, he’s had the pleasure of working with the world’s biggest brands, including Versace, Cadillac and Red Bull, headlined one of Canada’s largest cultural festivals on behalf of Toronto Dominion Bank, and holds residencies at a number of notable Toronto establishments.
We had the opportunity to chat with him about his favourite shops, why he rarely shops online, and his advice for owning your personal style.
Define your style in 3 words.
Classic clean cuts
What are some of your own style ‘rules’ that you like to live by?
Do not overthink it, do what feels right, and keep it simple.
What are your ‘go-to’ shopping destinations?
GOTSTYLE, Park & Province, Frank & Oak
Do you have any favourite local designers?
KOTN for basics, Vitaly Design for accessories
Where do you currently shop online?
To be honest, I rarely shop online. I like to browse and get inspired and see what I can find outside.
If you could give style advice to your followers, what would it be?
I definitely learned this the long (and expensive) way, but try to strategically think of your wardrobe staple items first and build from there to define your style. Find the perfect basics that you love and throw in some cool accessories or other pieces to really make your outfit pop and define your own personal style.
To keep up with Conor Cutz, follow him on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
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