Burberry Launches Multi-Pronged COVID-19 Help Response: Vaccine, Masks, Gowns, Food

With luxury stores shuttered in much of the world, the COVID-19 pandemic is having huge impact on the fashion industry. Not only will Burberry tap its global supply network to deliver 100,000 surgical masks to Britain’s NHS workers. The brand is also dedicating its trench coat factory in Castleford, Yorkshire to manufacturing non-surgical gowns and masks for patients in British hospitals, writes British Vogue.

Burberry’s efforts do not stop there. Burberry is funding research for a single-dose vaccine in development at the University of Oxford.  “The university has one of the world’s best track records in emergency vaccine development, and its Covid-19 vaccine is on course to begin human trials next month,” reads a post on the university’s Instagram page.

Food poverty in the UK existed before COVID-19, and today it’s significantly worse. Burberry will work closely with groups like FareShare — Britain’s largest charity fighting hunger and food waste — and The Felix Project — fighting hunger in London — to “expand their effort to help those struggling as a result of the coronavirus outbreak”.

In an emotional post, Burberry’s chief creative officer Riccardo Tisci wrote: “I am so incredibly proud to be part of the amazing @Burberry family as we work to support our communities in this tough time – together we will get through this!” Track Burberry’s COVID-19 response on Instagram.