Gucci donates 2 million euros to fight COVID-19
MILAN, Italy — Gucci stands with its global community to fight the COVID-19 pandemic by making two separate donations to crowdfunding campaigns. The first is to the Italian Civil Protection Department (Protezione Civile) in partnership with Intesa Sanpaolo; and second, to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund in support of the World Health Organization, through a matching campaign with Facebook.
Gucci is also calling on its friends and followers from its global community—who share values of social justice for diversity, equality, and freedom—to stand with the House in raising funds to alleviate the crisis by helping equip health services and empower scientists working on vaccines and treatments.
The initiative follows donations of over a million masks and gowns for healthcare personnel from Kering—Gucci’s parent company—in China, Italy and France.
“This pandemic calls to us to fulfill an unexpected task. It is a call to which we respond decisively, advocating for our health workers, doctors, and nurses on the front lines fighting against the pandemic, in Italy and in the rest of the world. Their generosity and courage light our way forward in these difficult days,” said Alessandro Michele, creative director at Gucci, and Marco Bizzarri, president and chief executive officer of Gucci in a statement.
By supporting each other and helping the most vulnerable, we will be able to overcome this crisis. We will come out united, even stronger than before,” they continued.
In Italy, which has been particularly affected by the crisis, €1 million will be donated to the valiant efforts of the National Civil Protection Department through Intesa Sanpaolo’s ForFunding crowd-funding platform. A dedicated webpage: gucci.forfunding.it is where the #GucciCommunity can also make donations. The funds will be allocated by the Italian National Civil Protection Department, to reinforce Italy’s health services and organizations managing the emergency, where the creation of new ICU beds is a priority.
Internationally, Gucci will contribute €1 million to the United Nations Foundation’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund in support of the World Health Organization (WHO). This will be done through Facebook’s $10-million matching fundraiser. The fund’s aim is to support WHO’s lifesaving work across countries, including epidemiological research, patient care, supplies procurement, and vaccines and therapies development.
The #GucciCommunity is invited to make a donation to the Solidarity Response Fund through the Donate feature available on the IG stories on www.instagram.com/Gucci. The total amount will be matched by Facebook as part of its initiative. Since its launch less than two weeks ago, the fund has received donations from more than 200,000 people and institutions worldwide.
The House’s other social media channels and Gucci.com will also include links to the donation pages for both crowdfunding initiatives.
‘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 as a gesture of solidarity.
The crowdfunding campaigns are also launched internally to the company’s over 19,000 employees worldwide.
Gucci will also put its social media accounts, with over 70 million followers, at the disposal of the World Health Organization, to help in amplifying official public service.
“Gucci has created a world that’s open and free: a Gucci global community. We ask all of you to be the ‘Changemakers’ in this crisis, to stand together with us in the fight against the Coronavirus. We are all in this together,” said Michele and Bizzarri.
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