Estée Lauder, Kering, Nike, Pyer Moss and L'Oreal USA add to Covid-19 relief on New York's deadliest day

By

Gabriella Lacombe

Published
Apr 8, 2020

New York state has experienced its deadliest day of the Covid-19 outbreak, with 731 deaths reported in the past 24 hours, according to a briefing given by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. 

New York, which has been the hardest hit by Covid-19 in the United States, has now seen 5,489 reported deaths as a result of the novel coronavirus to date, and 138,836 confirmed cases across the state. 

Gov. Cuomo said that this peak was a "lagging indicator" influenced in part by deaths of critically ill people admitted to hospitals in weeks prior. 

On an optimistic note, data suggests a plateau in the state's total number of hospitalizations. The 8,147 in new cases reported Tuesday is the third straight day below the peak of 10,841 hit on Friday. 

In order to combat the virus's impact, the state is continuing to pursue social distancing policies. On April 6, Gov. Cuomo extended the 'New York on Pause' executive order mandating the closure of non-essential businesses across New York to April 29.

As the pandemic continues to have an unprecedented impact in New York and across the globe, businesses have worked to reckon with the outbreak's economic aftermath and contribute to aid efforts. Since the outbreak began, companies including Unilever, LVMH, Levi Strauss and more have announced their own commitments and donations toward Covid-19 relief. 

More recently, Kering, Pyer Moss, Estee Lauder, Nike and L'Oreal USA have announced their own new and updated commitments to providing support. 

Pyer Moss

Pyer Moss, the brand founded by Kerby Jean-Raymond, announced in March that it would convert its office in New York City to a donation center for needed protective supplies for healthcare professionals. In addition, the brand said it would set aside $50,000 for minority and women-owned small creative businesses struggling as a result of the outbreak.

In an April 7 update, the brand announced that it has donated $10,000 of N95 masks and nitrile gloves to healthcare workers.

Jean-Raymond further announced two major increases to his relief fund. These boosts came from Jen Rubio, who matched the dollar amount of the original $50,000 to bring the fund up to $100,000, as well as Francois-Henri Pinault and Kering, who donated $150,000 to the effort; growing the fund to $250,000. 

To date, the fund has helped over 40 businesses and independent artists.

Kering

Luxury goods group Kering announced on April 7 that its brands, including Gucci, Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga and Alexander McQueen, among others, will collectively donate $1 million to the CDC Foundation to support healthcare workers in the United States, particularly in highly impacted states such as, New York, New Jersey, California, and Florida, and locations in Latin America.

These contributions follow those already made by Kering in France, Italy, and China and the production of over 1 million surgical masks and gowns for healthcare personnel.

In addition to Kering's support of Pyer Moss's initiative, the company has also contributed to the CFDA and Vogue's A Common Thread initiative. 

Nike

Through Nike and the Nike Foundation, the athletic company has committed over $17 million to Covid-19 response efforts, including working with the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) to provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to healthcare workers. 

The company said it will give $1.6 million to organizations working to support their local communities with needs like food assistance and medical care. In addition, the company said it is providing a two-to-one match for all employee donations to support community organizations anywhere in the world. 

In order to promote physical activity, Nike is also offering NTC Premium, the Nike Training Club’s subscription-based service, for free in the U.S. 

Estée Lauder

Estée Lauder - including The Estée Lauder Companies Inc., its brands, and The Estée Lauder Companies Charitable Foundation (ELCCF) - has worked to provide Covid-19 relief by awarding a $2 million grant to Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) to support their fight against the outbreak. 

The company also awarded a grant to support the establishment of The NYC Covid-19 Response & Impact Fund, in addition to awarding over $800,000 to relief efforts in China. 

In order to provide further support, the company is donating two million surgical masks to critical workers in New York, and has began the production of hand sanitizer for high-need groups in its newly re-opened Melville, New York manufacturing facility.

Within its portfolio of brands, the company will allocate $10 million to 250 local organizations around the world that are providing essentials needs and services to people at higher risk during the pandemic through the MAC Cosmetics Viva Glam Fund, and is donating 50,000 skin care products to the doctors and nurses in New York City's hospitals through its Clinique brand, among other efforts. 

L'Oréal USA

L'Oréal USA has partnered with the Professional Beauty Association (PBA) to launch a multi-tiered support strategy for its stylist and salon partners. An extension of the L'Oréal USA Gives Back commitment, the company will freeze the outstanding credit balances of it salon and stylist customers until their businesses resume, and will freeze 'Level Loyalty' points due to expire in March or April through the end of May 2020.

In order to provide additional stylist support, the beauty company is donating $200,000 to the Professional Beauty Association Covid-19 Relief Fund, which supports licensed professionals who are unable to work due to Covid-19. The company will also match additional employee donations to the relief fund dollar-for-dollar up to $25,000.