Category: Fashion

THE EYES HAVE IT: Balmain is helping mitigate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria programs in countries with fragile health-care systems.
The French fashion house is donating for sale 12 pairs of prototype sunglasses customized by creative director Olivier Rousteing for its men’s and women’s shows in January and February, marking the launch of its license with Lugano-based eyewear start-up Akoni.
The sunglasses will go on sale on video commerce platform NTWRK as part of an activation by RED, the nonprofit organization founded by Bono and Bobby Shriver in 2006 to raise funds for the Global Fund’s efforts to combat COVID-19.
Balmain and Akoni are donating 12 pairs of the Wonder Boy style that Rousteing has designated as his own wear-it-everyday choice of frames.
“These frames have a painted surface that is slightly fragile, making this more a collector’s piece for display by a true Balmain Army member than a design meant for everyday use,” the brand said.
Registration for online drawing will open on Tuesday and will close on May 4, with 100 percent of proceeds donated to the Global Fund’s COVID-19 Response.

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Michelle Obama’s best-selling memoir is getting the documentary treatment.
The former First Lady revealed in an Instagram post today that she is teaming with Netflix for a documentary following the 34-city book tour for her 2018 memoir, “Becoming.” The documentary, which is also titled “Becoming,” recounts similar stories shared in the memoir and also shows intimate moments she shared with the public while on tour.
“Those months I spent traveling — meeting and connecting with people in cities across the globe — drove home the idea that what we share in common is deep and real and can’t be messed with,” she wrote. “In groups large and small, young and old, unique and united, we came together and shared stories, filing those spaces with our joys, worries and dreams.”

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I’m excited to let you know that on May 6, @Netflix will release BECOMING, a documentary film directed by Nadia Hallgren that looks at my life and the experiences I had while touring following the release of my memoir. Those months I spent traveling—meeting and connecting with people in cities across the globe—drove home the idea that what we share in common is deep

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Redemption is going all-in on its fight against the coronavirus. 
The Milan-based fashion label was founded with the intention of establishing a new way of doing business. (It normally donates 50 percent of profits to charity.) Now the brand is giving 100 percent of proceeds from its online store to charities that support COVID-19 relief efforts. 
“We decided, at the moment, we needed to do something more,” Gabriele “Bebe” Moratti, Redemption’s creative director and cofounder, told WWD. “We do it because we know we can. That’s kind of our m.o. If you’re willing and able and you have the chance to do something positive for something different, then I choose to do it.” 

Redemption spring 2020. 
Courtesy

Moratti wouldn’t disclose the specific charities, but said the fashion brand will donate to four nonprofits: two in the U.S., one in France and one in Italy. Donations include profits from all collections currently available online and may extend into future seasons “depending on how dire this crisis continues to be,” he said. 
While the business model may seem a bit unorthodox (in its eight-year run Redemption has yet to turn a profit), Moratti said that was never the goal. It was about creating a more sustainable and socially

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FIRST STEP: Italy’s prime minister Giuseppe Conte on Sunday evening confirmed the lockdown in the country, first enforced on March 9, will be gradually lifted beginning May 4, when production and construction will be allowed to restart, as well as B2B operations, in compliance with safety protocols.
Another phase will kick off on May 18 when retail businesses will be allowed to reopen, as well as museums, exhibitions and libraries. Bars, restaurants, hair salons and beauty centers will reopen on June 1.
Masks will be mandatory in public places, large crowd gatherings will be forbidden and a social distancing of at least three feet will continue to be required. Conte was cautious, saying that citizens will have to learn to live with the coronavirus and that another lockdown could be necessary if signs pointed to a fresh outbreak.
As of April 26, at least 197,675 citizens in Italy have been infected, 26,644 have died, according to the Civil Protection.
A number of luxury brands have resumed activities ahead of the end of the lockdown, as reported, also for the production of protective masks and overalls. Valentino, for example, will resume activities on April 27 at its artisan laboratories and at a number of its

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Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber and The Rolling Stones are among the Universal Music Group artists releasing washable, reusable, cloth face masks as part of the music company’s “We’ve Got You Covered” initiative.
Available now at wegotyoucoverednow.com and costing $15 each, all net proceeds will go toward charities that include MusiCares and Help Musicians, which are working to support the music community affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The “We’ve Got You Covered” initiative was kicked off after UMG began offering face masks to its employees.
“I’m humbled and grateful to work with artists and partners who are passionate and driven to deliver a program that supports those that need it most during this unprecedented time,” shared Mat Vlasic, chief executive officer of Bravado, UMG’s merchandise and brand management company. “This initiative will continue to grow and evolve thanks to the hard work from everyone here at Bravado and UMG, along with our artists across the globe.”

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Chrome Hearts, even with its luxe swashbuckling persona, is facing the economic realities of the coronavirus.
The Los Angeles-based luxury brand, known best for eccentric biker-themed jewelry and accessories favored by a long list of major celebrities, has permanently laid off 100 employees in the U.S., WWD has learned. The layoffs are thought to affect the majority of its retail employees in America. 
Sources recently noted that the ongoing closures of all “nonessential” retail stores in North America and Europe, where the company has nine and four stores, respectively, were undoubtedly affecting the brand financially — it has no online business to speak of. Chrome Hearts last week filed a required notice with the State of California disclosing the layoffs and categorizing them as “permanent.” Nearly all other companies that have filed worker layoff notices, including a number of retailers, have categorized them as “temporary.”
A spokeswoman for the company said the brand does plan to reopen the stores, but, as with other businesses, it is unclear when exactly that will happen.
“While the retail landscape is challenging at this time, we have full intentions to reopen all of our stores that have been impacted,” she said. “Obviously, we’re all standing by to hear

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