Arab News Japan

Luxury brands Yves Saint Laurent and Balenciaga have started using their workshops to manufacture surgical masks for the health workers on the frontline of the coronavirus (COVID-19) battle instead of luxury clothing.

The fashion labels’ parent company The Kering Group said in a statement that they would by three million masks the French health service imported from China to “contribute to the fight against Covid-19.”

The organization also pledged to make a donation to the Institut Pasteur biomedical research institute, according to BBC.

The Paris-based company said: "The French workshops of Kering's Houses Balenciaga and Yves Saint Laurent are preparing to manufacture masks while complying with the strictest health protection measures for their staff members, with production getting under way as soon as the manufacturing process and materials have been approved by the relevant authorities."

As of March 25, France stands at 22,635 coronavirus cases.