It is hard to avoid harsh reality at the moment. The coronavirus has completely changed our life and dramatically affected major aspects of our normal daily life.
What we are going through is unprecedented. We are buried with statistics of the whole coronavirus situation, which can turn a day full of sunshine into the one filled with doom and gloom. In these times of crisis and uncertainty, we more than ever need positive contents or stories, from clapping support for NHS workers to sharing tips to effectively work from home, which reminds us to look on the bright side and keep us away, even a little, from the whole media landscape already ridden with negativity. When asked for what kind of content Britons want from the news, 37% of respondents mentioned about heart-warming stories about human kindness. Yes, it is time for us to combat the virus together and power through this tough time. There are many ways to show kindness, which I believe fashion industry has been doing really well.
Looking at the fashion industry and seeing how this industry’s leaders deals with the current situation, we will see an interesting case about “kindness” and “PR” at the same time. The industry has been continuously impacted by the current situation, stores have been closed, numerous fashion shows from different brands have been cancelled, high-end events like Met Gala or CFDA Awards have been postponed indefinitely. These negative impacts have escalated in the midst of fall 2020 fashion month season. It is not the perfect timing for sale generation, but it does not mean that the fashion industry will step aside and wait till the storm passes. It has joined force to help the world. Industry’s leaders aren’t backing down. Fashion legend Giorgio Armani donated about $2.2 million to hospitals in Milan, Rome, Bergamo, Piacenza and Versilia as well as to the Italian civil protection agency. The French luxury conglomerate that operates more than 75 brands, including high-end labels like Louis Vuitton, Fendi, and Celine – has turned its perfume factories into hand sanitizer manufacturers and also ordered 40 million face masks from China to help France cope with the shortage of medical supplies. Donatella Versace and her daughter Allegra Versace Beck donated £183,528 to the ICU at San Raffaele hospital, saying: “This is when we, as a society, need to stand together and care for one another.”
The coronavirus is perhaps at the forefront of everyone’s minds at the moment, but the dust will settle and the storm will pass. Kindness stays. It is such topsy-turvy time and everything is different but kindness is never out of fashion. It is the meaning of fashion. Whatever way we see it, these generosity movement and grand corporate gestures are exemplary and meaningful. Every newspaper talks about it. This kindness is spreading. It’s all on the news coverage. This is what we want to hear at the moment and the fashion industry is giving it to us. It is also interesting because the names of those brands are on the coverage. We don’t know for sure whether it’s just about PR only or simply kindness, only the people who are behind the table know it, but there is one thing we all know for sure is that, when this critical time passes, we will remember these brands and their kindness and how they contribute to cope with this situation.
