Gucci has come forward with lending its support to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic that is raging across the continents. The two pronged approach by Gucci is to make two separate donations to crowdfunding campaigns -1) locally, in Italy for the Italian Civil Protection Department (Protezione Civile) in partnership with Intesa Sanpaolo; and 2) globally, for the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund in support of the World Health Organization, through a matching campaign with Facebook.
At a time when many are confined to their homes, Gucci is calling on its friends and followers from its global community to stand with the House in raising funds to survive this crisis, by helping health services with equipment and powering the scientists who are working on vaccines and treatments.
The initiative follows donations from Kering, Gucci’s parent company, in China, Italy and France and the production of over 1 million masks and gowns for healthcare personnel.
“This pandemic calls us to an unexpected task, but it is a call to which we respond decisively, advocating the selfless work carried out by health workers, doctors and nurses on the front lines every day in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, in Italy and in the rest of the world. Their generosity and courage light our way forward in these difficult days. By supporting each other and helping those who are most vulnerable among us, we will be able to overcome this crisis: united, even more than before,” Alessandro Michele, Creative Director of Gucci, and Marco Bizzarri, President and CEO of Gucci shared a letter announcing the initiative to the company’s employees around the world.
The #GucciCommunity is invited to make a donation to the Solidarity Response Fund for WHO through the “donate” feature available in the IG stories on www.instagram.com/Gucci.
The total amount will be matched by Facebook as part of its Matching initiative. Since it launched less than two weeks ago the Solidarity Response Fund has attracted donations from more than 200,000 people worldwide and some of the biggest companies.
“We Are All In This Together” is the call to action that will accompany Gucci’s crowdfunding campaign along with an illustration gifted by Rome-based artist MP5, depicting a person holding their hand to their heart in a symbol of solidarity.
“Gucci has created a world, open and free: a Gucci global community. We ask all of you to be the Change makers in this crisis, to stand together with us in the fight against the Coronavirus. We are all in this together.” Wrote Alessandro Michele and Marco Bizzarri
