California Apparel News

As the COVID-19 pandemic dealt a harsh blow to the nation, many designers, retailers, manufacturers and the fashion public rallied, unveiling good works and charitable projects to help their colleagues, their neighbors and their country.

Prominent retailers such as Ross Stores, Inc.,and its charitable arm, the Ross Stores Foundation, committed $1.5 million to COVID-19 relief services. The Walmart Foundation donated an initial $50,000 to fund Masks4Farmworkers, a campaign that Los Angeles–based designer Mario De La Torre put together to provide face masks for people who pick America’s crops.

Designer Malena Ruth and her colleague Kevan Hall made protective masks for workers at the UCLA Medical Center. Prominent footwear and apparel brand Vans worked with the Hedley & Bennett workwear-and-kitchen label to make more than 250,000 face masks out of canvas that was developed for Vans shoes.

Tony Shamtobi, president and co-owner of Los Angeles–based Labeltex,employed his factory’s mechanics to modify Labeltex looms to make masks. It took some trial and error to modify the looms, Shamtobi said, but he felt the work was crucial. “I never lost hope,” Shamtobi said. “We had to do something that would help.”

The Brother International Corp. announced that it would donate 100 industrial sewing machines to domestic manufacturers making personal protective equipment.Small, independent brands developed fund-raisers for COVID relief. Los Angeles’ Original Paperbacks unveiled the OPBthechange, where 100 percent of proceeds from the campaign’s tees would be donated to the L.A. Mayor’s Fund for COVID relief. The Newport Beach, Calif.–brand STKY released a new tee to raise funds to buy personal protective gear for California hospitals. And the Venice Beach T-shirt brand Vardagen developed a special T-shirt line called PNDMC for pandemic relief. It takes 20 percent of proceeds from sales of PNDMC to give $200 grants to creatives who are experiencing hardship.