Coronavirus: Italian independent fashion labels fight for survival amid lockdown, mixing doubt and determination as they plan for a different future
- ‘Big shops do not wait for a small brand to get back,’ says a worried Marco De Vincenzo. But for Stella Jean, being small helps her label adapt production
- ‘We will not give up’ is the common refrain of designers Carolina Castiglioni at Plan C, JJ Martin at La Double J, and Luca Lin and Galib Gassanoff at Act n° 1
“From stretcher-bearers to nurses, physicians, medical specialists: I’m with you,” read the full-page ads. Fashion designer Giorgio Armani had bought the ads in the most important national and local newspapers in Italy to personally encourage those fighting the spread of Covid-19. The nation has been in lockdown since March 8.
Since Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte defined the outbreak as “the worst national crisis after World War II”, big names in the Italian fashion industry have either donated to hospitals and scientific research institutes or have converted some of their production lines to making protective face masks and hazmat suits.
With shops closed and no date set for a possible return to business as usual, the Italian fashion industry is expecting to lose around €12.7 billion (US$13.8 billion) in 2020 if the emergency continues past May, according to analysts of the Cerved Group.
Most of Italy’s larger brands – the likes of Gucci, Prada, Fendi and Armani – will likely weather the storm, but for small, independent labels this pandemic could prove fatal. Marco De Vincenzo, Stella Jean, Carolina Castiglioni from Plan C, JJ Martin from La DoubleJ, and Luca Lin and Galib Gassanoff from Act n°1 are just a few of the designers whose labels have garnered international attention. Here’s how they are coping with the current lockdown.
Marco De Vincenzo recently celebrated the launch of his menswear collection and the 10th anniversary of his eponymous brand. A designer usually full of passion and enthusiasm, he had dark words regarding the future.
