Fears among retailers and brands that protests in Los Angeles over the death of George Floyd would devolve into looting have been realized in some areas.
On Saturday evening, an Alexander McQueen store on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills was broken into and looted, according to live video aired by a local CBS station. Dozens of mainly young men streamed into the McQueen store after the glass of its doorway was broken. A large display window was tagged with “Make America Pay.” The store had not been boarded up like most of its neighbors had earlier in the day. Some that entered the store ran out with handfuls of merchandise and handbags.
Not long before, the Gucci store on rodeo was tagged with “Eat the rich” and protestors attempted to breach its blue plywood barricade, but left when police approached. Dozens of police, many in riot gear, have been present in and around Rodeo since early afternoon as protests in L.A. began to grow and move west from the Fairfax/Grove area of L.A.. The police did not attempt to stop the looting of the McQueen store.
As of 6:30 p.m., the CBS station was showing video of a Nordstrom department store within The
Month: May 2020
As thousands of demonstrators protesting the death of George Floyd by a Minnesota police officer moved westward in Los Angeles, luxury retail started to board up in fear of riots and looting.
The entirety of famed luxury shopping strip Rodeo Drive was blocked to traffic by early afternoon on Saturday, as protestors were still miles to the east. The Beverly Center, a mall in West Hollywood that houses a number of luxury brands, also decided to close entirely on Saturday, a representative confirmed. The center had just reopened on Friday, after L.A. officials suddenly announced earlier in the week that in-store shopping could resume after months of being prohibited due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Gucci’s just reopened store on Rodeo Dr. was quickly boarded up on Saturday in fear of protests.
Kali Hays/WWD
On Rodeo, the likes of Gucci, Prada, Dior, Rolex, and Louis Vuitton were being hurriedly boarded up by workmen as of midday on Saturday. A number of the stores had slowly started to reopen since Wednesday, allowing shoppers inside and refreshing merchandise displays. On Saturday, the same stores were again locked and emptied of all merchandise as police stood at traffic barricades.
In Beverly Hills and the Downtown area of L.A., an
Although the coronavirus pandemic has canceled virtually all in-person Pride Month events, fashion and beauty brands are continuing their commitments to give back and support the LGBTQ+ community.
Several brands are creating rainbow-themed Pride collections to donate proceeds to global organizations supporting the LGBTQ+ community, including GLAAD, the Trevor Project and the It Gets Better Project.
Others are launching larger initiatives to highlight the importance of Pride Month, including makeup brand NYX, which is hosting a virtual Pride March on Instagram, and activewear brand Under Armour, which is offering a grant program to aid LGBTQ+-focused nonprofits that are impacted by COVID-19.
Here, WWD looks at 20 fashion and beauty brands that are giving back for Pride Month 2020.
1. ASOS
Styles from Asos’ Pride Month collection.
Asos is teaming with GLAAD for the fourth year in a row to collaborate on a Pride-themed collection. This year’s collection centers on the theme of unity, with several graphic T-shirts sporting the word in a rainbow colorway. Other pieces include button-up tops, shorts and sweatshirts ranging in price from $29 to $69. All proceeds from the collection will benefit GLAAD.
2. Banana Republic
A style from Banana Republic’s Pride collection.
Aurelie Graillot Studio
Banana Republic is launching a capsule collection of rainbow-themed
PARIS — Signaling intentions to continue seeking to cultivate an inclusive working environment, Kering issued a statement Friday expressing support for the LGBTQIA+ community, relaying the message at the outset of Pride month.
Pride month kicks off in June amid rising concern that respect for diversity could fall by the wayside in an environment of deep economic and social upheaval due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The luxury goods group’s comments indicate the topic will remain a priority for the company.
“At Kering, we believe that diversity and equality are key pillars of a sustainable and creative company. We have a continued commitment to foster and maintain a supportive and inclusive work environment for all our employees around the world, including our LGBTQIA+ community,” said Béatrice Lazat, the group’s chief people officer.
Kering listed a number of measures it has taken to promote inclusivity, including its group-wide family leave policy for new parents, signing a Friends of the Court brief in the U.S. calling for civil rights for LGBTQ communities, and setting up an internal group dubbed “ALL” that focuses on raising awareness on LGBTQIA+ issues both inside the company and externally, in the U.S., Brazil, Qatar, Italy, France, the U.K. and Australia.
The luxury company also
Unknwn today will launch a limited-edition capsule collection with Ladder, a sports nutrition company cofounded by LeBron James and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The co-branded capsule is comprised of a white T-shirt and white custom fleece hoodie designed to celebrate Unknwn and Ladder’s shared athlete origin and commitment to fitness and wellness. James is a partner in Unknwn as well.
“At Unknwn, we strive to intersect sport and style, and we’re excited to continue our partnership with Ladder with this new project,” said Unknwn cofounder Jaron Kanfer. “Earlier this year, we launched our community workout program with Ladder and Nike in our store’s courtyard, and this capsule has been an evolution of our work together for athletes. Ladder shares our vision to support athlete development, seen with Ladder’s proven supplement formulas and with Unknwn’s open resources of weekly workout events for our local community.”
James and his trainer Mike Mancias explored advanced nutrition after James experienced cramps in the first gain of the 2014 NBA Finals. After revamping his workout regimen and nutrition, they were inspired to start their own supplement brand and consulted with Schwarzenegger, who has knowledge and experience in the sports nutrition industry.
“For Ladder, we’re always looking for ways to connect with