Louis Vuitton starts producing face masks

Elite fashion house shifts production in response to coronavirus pandemic

SAINT-FLORENCE, France (KYMA, KECY) - Renowned fashion icon Louis Vuitton is transforming his workshops into production sites for face masks to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.

The brand aims to manufacture hundreds of thousands of masks for the French goverment. Right now healthcare workers across France face a critical shortage of medical equipment.

Louis Vuitton has dedicated 300 artisans in five locations to create non-surgical grade masks. At one shop in Sainte-Florence, a staff of 22 sews around the clock.

France ordered more than a million face masks from China in March. Since then President Emmanuel Macron has encouraged an increase in domestic mask production to promote independence during the health crisis.