As per Business of Fashion, the biggest names in French fashion have come together to help provide relief in response to the coronavirus pandemic. These brands have started a one-off auction, called La Mode S’Engage, to raise money for the non-profit organization #ProtegeTonSoignant, which sources and distributes essential supplies and personal protective equipment to healthcare workers on the frontlines in France.
The organization was created by Ami’s chief executive Nicolas Santi-Weil and Sarah Adelman, former founder of the infamous Colette boutique. Together, the duo has secured some of the country’s most influential fashion houses. Auction entrants will include: Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Dior, Celine, Balenciaga and Comme des Garçons, among others. Each house has been tasked with either customizing an object from their existing archives or creating something entirely new and unique—but each piece must somehow include the foundation’s electric blue colorway.
Designers who are currently practising social distancing without access to studio space will be able to submit sketches and offer made-to-order services to potential bidders.
La Mode S’Engage auction will go live from May 1 and will run through Monday, May 4. Bidding starts at €100 but Santi-Weil and Adelman hope these offerings will fetch in the millions—#ProtegeTonSoignant currently has over 167 requests for medical supplies, which is worth about €20 million.
