Coronavirus: Fashion companies from Dior to Nordstrom mobilize to make masks and gowns

The fashion world is working to aid healthcare workers in the battle against the coronavirus.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, multiple fashion labels and companies have re-purposed their resources to provide doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers with essential equipment, like medical masks and gowns.

In a statement posted to Instagram on Tuesday, Dior announced the company has reopened a studio in Redon, France on a volunteer basis to produce new masks.

"Dior is actively committed to aiding and protecting all those who are on the front line every day," continued the statement. "Thank you to our wonderful petites mains who, in an exceptional show of solidarity, are working tirelessly to protect them."

In Instagram posts Monday, Giorgio Armani announced that all of the company's Italian production plants are manufacturing single-use medical overalls.

“I would like to dedicate a special thought to those involved in the production of disposable medical overalls, with their skills and dedication they will make a concrete contribution to confronting the greatest emergency of these years," said the designer Armani in another post.

Burberry announced on Instagram Saturday that the company's global supply chain network is being used to deliver 100,000 surgical masks to the United Kingdom's National Health Service. Additionally, the label's trench coat factory in Castleford, Yorkshire, has been re-purposed to make non-surgical gowns and masks for patients.

The label is also funding vaccine research at the University of Oxford and donating to the charities FareShare and The Felix Project to combat food poverty.

Brooks Brothers followed suit, announcing on Instagram Monday that the American company's factories in New York, North Carolina and Massachusetts will pivot from making from ties, shirts and suits to manufacturing masks and gowns. The company expects to produce 150,000 masks per day.

“We consider this a duty, and part of our DNA at Brooks Brothers," said CEO Claudio Del Vecchio in a statement. "We are deeply grateful to the medical personnel at the frontlines who are fighting the pandemic, and we are honored to do our part and join our peers in retail to provide protective masks that our healthcare system critically needs.”

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Nordstrom also announced on the company's website Friday that it has partnered with Kaas Tailored to provide Providence Health & Services with more than 100,000 sanitized masks.

The luxury conglomerate LVMH, which owns several fashion houses including Christian Dior, Fendy, Givenchy, Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacobs, announced on March 21 plans to use its global redistribution network to provide more than 40 million masks in the coming weeks.

Similarly, the Kering Group, which owns the fashion houses Gucci, Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen and Brioni, announced on March 24 plans to manufacture masks. On March 22, the conglomerate said it will purchase and import three million surgical masks from China for healthcare workers in France.

Prada began the production of 80,000 medical overalls and 110,000 masks March 18 at its factory in Montone, Italy, the company announced on March 23.

Another designer who has pledged to help is Christian Siriano, who tweeted at New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on March 20 his offer to make masks for hospital workers to help with the shortage.

"If @NYGovCuomo says we need masks my team will help make some. I have a full sewing team still on staff working from home that can help," Siriano wrote.

Cuomo thanked the designer, saying he appreciated "his help so much" and called on other businesses to get creative in case they're able to help with supply shortages.

Since his offer to Gov. Cuomo, Siriano has posted multiple tweets about all of the masks he and his workers have been able to produce. On March 26, he wrote that his company made 1,000 masks in three days.

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Contributing: Sara M Moniuszko

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dior, Burberry among those making masks and gowns for coronavirus