Chanel is the latest fashion house to join the fight against coronavirus. It stands ready to pivot from womenswear to manufacturing masks and gowns, in order to help address worldwide shortages as a result of the pandemic. In a statement released on 29 March, Chanel said it was awaiting a green light from the authorities to begin production. “Today we are mobilising our workforce and our partners… to produce protective masks and blouses,” the statement said.

Chanel has also donated €1.2million to help bolster the public hospital system, according to WWD.

France’s health minister, Olivier Véran, has said the country is using 40 million face masks per week, and that the government aims to distribute a further billion masks in the coming weeks and months. Chanel joins the likes of Prada, Kering and LVMH in mobilising to produce medical equipment – the latter converted factories in Orléans to produce hand sanitiser, and recently announced that the company had ordered 40 million FFP2 masks.

Despite the significant economic repercussions of the coronavirus outbreak, Chanel has also pledged not to put any of its workforce in France into temporary unemployment as it weathers the downturn.

Previously published on British Vogue