#FashionHasAHeart: Fashion Brands & Covid Care

The Indian fashion industry was blooming bright, until Covid-19 struck like a wave of destruction. The lined-up Spring-Summer collections and the various Fashion Weeks were put on hold because the idea of dressing-up and weddings went for a toss, post the announcement of the nationwide lockdown. That’s when the battle started for the workers in the industry. 

As life came to a halt, the craftsmen, the creators behind the breath-taking world of couture, found no place to call home, their livelihood seriously threatened, caught in an industry which doesn’t really hold a concept of Work From Home. 

Anita Dongre and the Anita Dongre Foundation, known for its contribution for the welfare and upliftment of rural women workers, contributed Rs 15 million to support the medical treatments for small vendors and self-employed artisans who may or may not be a part of the Anita Dongre family. Along with this, all employees of the designer label hold medical insurance to sail them through the tough times. 

Designer Rahul Mishra put out his concern to bring in help before it got late, and continued to pay salaries for his factory workers. He also made each one of them design ten masks each to take home before the lockdown. 

Ekaya, Benaras’ exquisite textile label, held out advances and paid leaves, with the introduction of a fund to support the weavers. 

Karan Torani chose to take a different path and approach to the situation, by inviting monetary contributions from his clients and followers on social media in order to continue paying his kaarigars. Not only did he consider this to be his moral duty but also a responsibility at the humanitarian level to do whatever he could to help.

The changing dynamics now push the Spring-Summer clothing to October in order to clear the inventory. As Diwali festivities approach later in November, the extended summer will be tapped as an added benefit to take out the Spring-Summer collections, along with which the production of Fall and holidays goods that will only be cut down.