Louis Vuitton repurposes workshops to make face masks

French fashion house Louis Vuitton has confirmed that it is repurposing its workshops across France to produce hundreds of thousands of non-surgical protective masks to aid in the “battle against Covid-19”.

The initiative will see 300 Louis Vuitton artisans from workshops in Marsaz, Saint-Donat, Saint-Pourcain, Ducey and Sainte-Florence, responding to what the fashion house calls the “French government’s plea” to increase production on alternative non-surgical masks to help stop the spread of coronavirus.

These nonsurgical masks have been created in collaboration with Mode Grand Ouest, a regional network of the textile industry that is supplying one of the main materials, and has been approved by the different governing bodies for civilian use to fight this global pandemic.

In an Instagram statement, Louis Vuitton added that it was “proud” to reopen its French ateliers to start the production of non-surgical protective masks and that the “much-needed protective gear” will be donated to frontline healthcare workers.

The fashion house also thanked its artisans, who usually work on couture collection, for volunteering to make the masks saying: “Because of their commitment, hundreds of thousands of non-surgical masks are being produced and donated to healthcare workers on the frontline.”