The arrival of the coronavirus in the fashion world

As the coronavirus spreads throughout the world causing uncertainty as to whether it will have any cure or end, new characters affected by this epidemic appear every time. Now the turn is for the fashion industry, in which the new virus has buyers, fashion editors, designers, models, among other figures with ties to the industry, concerned.

They have come to the point of postponing major industry events such as the Shanghai Fashion Week scheduled for March 26 to April 2, due to the threat and casualties the country's textile sector has presented. The organizers of the event have spoken out in a statement released by We Chat, announcing "We will actively seek (new) dates and maintain close communication with partners who care for and support Shanghai Fashion Week."

Another cancellation on the fashion industry's agenda is the Chanel house show scheduled for the month of May in China's capital Beijing. The Chanel house stated "Taking into account the current situation and following the recommendations of the Chinese authorities, Chanel has decided to postpone its project of a replica of the Paris-31 rue Cambon 2019/20 Métiers d'Art 'fashion show in Beijing in May until a later and appropriate moment. ”

Likewise, the Met Gala event, held every year on the first Monday in May, has been postponed, VOGUE has not yet announced its new date or if the gala will be permanently canceled. Anna Wintour, VOGUE USA editor, and event director, said, "Due to the museum's closure and inevitability, the opening of this year's exhibition and the opening gala will be postponed to one later date".

These and other measures have been taken by brands in the fashion industry to mitigate the spread of the virus while the pandemic is controlled, although this represents financial losses such as the case of Nike , which according to CNN , temporarily closed half of its stores in China.  The brand has not yet expressed the losses they have had due to this prevention measure. However, they hope that when the situation is controlled, the normality of their commercial activities will return.

Another affected by the prevention measures is the British house Burberry , which has closed 24 of its stores in China , Marco Gobbetti, executive director of the firm said “the virus is causing negative effects on the demand for luxury …… although currently, we can not predict how long this situation will last. We remain confident in our strategy. "

Also Adidas and Levi's, had to close their stores and factories in the Asian country as a preventive measure, this situation represents great losses for Levi's because China is a potential buyer of the brand, its sales in this place are equivalent to 3% of the income for the company.

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The list of fashion brands affected by this pandemic is endless, H&M, Versace, Michael Kors, Zara have closed their stores in different parts of the world where the virus has been detected. The design house Karl Lagerfeld communicated on March 16, through a post on their Instagram account “Our main priority is the health and safety of #TEAMKARL of our community of customers and employees, therefore we are temporarily closing the Karl Lagerfeld stores in selected countries around the world …… ”.

Italy is occupying the first place in European countries most affected by the epidemic, with record deaths from the coronavirus. So much so that the Italian National Fashion Chamber, gave a forecast of the financial crisis that the textile industry in the country will experience with losses of about 100 million euros in the first quarter and 230 million if the situation continues.

In addition to large financial losses and store closings, the fashion industry joins the cause through donations to universities, hospitals and foundations to find a cure that can fight the virus and help affected people. Louis Vuitton donated 2.3 million dollars to the foundation of the Chinese Red Cross, also the Italians of the Dolce & Gabanna brand, donated a large sum of money to Humanitas University, through a post on their Instagram account, they confirmed such an event stating "The objective of this donation is to create a development base in the diagnosis and therapeutic treatment of the disease to contribute to the global solution of the problem."

Likewise, fashion blogger Chiara Ferragani started a € 4 million fundraiser among her followers and Italian citizens to make a donation to the San Raffaele hospital.

Although we are in a critical health situation, this is not an impediment for the fashion world to continue surprising with its garments and now an accessory that cannot be missing is the mouth mask, that is why different brands such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Dior, Gucci, among others have shown their mouth covers, of different styles and shapes, accompanying the faithful of fashion in their health.