Trerè Innovation, the Italian knitter of functional garments sold under the new UYN brand name – which stands for “Unleash Your Nature” – has converted its factory in northern Italy to make 10,000 face masks per day, while gearing up gradually for a re-start of the full production process at the beginning of May, depending on the government’s directives. It is reactivating its sales and communication operations, and it is still planning to deliver its first line of UYN shoes at the end of the summer.
The former producer and licensee for X-Bionic reports strong demand for its special UYN Community Mask, which is available at €14.90 on its website, uynsports.com, along with its full line of functional socks and garments for fitness, running, cycling and other outdoor and winter stores. It has also been approached by many companies for their own personnel. Deliveries will start at the end of April.
The UYN Community Mask is described as a high-quality product made of lightweight and recyclable polypropylene, which is also used in many other UYN apparel products and accessories. Coming in various colors, it is ergonomic and can be washed several times. For the company, which is in a major brand-building phase, it is also an excellent advertising tool as it bears the UYN logo discreetly on the lower right side.
We will talk more about this company in a separate article on our website.
It would be too long to list all the actions that companies have announced in the last days to help fight against Covid-19. Here is a narrow selection of them:
Under Armour is donating about 15,000 pieces of sports apparel to medical personnel in the U.K., France, Germany and the Netherlands to help keep them cool and comfortable during the Covid-19 pandemic. Worth about €1 million, the items were selected in response to feedback from the personnel of the U.K.’s National Health Service (NHS) and they include HeatGear T-shirts and Recovery sleepwear and tracksuits. In connection with the donation, some of UA’s sponsored athletes – such as the Olympic taekwondo champion Jade Jones, the Liverpool FC defender Trent Alexander-Arnold, and the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua – will be doing promotional live broadcasts on social media. In the U.S., meanwhile, UA is manufacturing PPE at its Lighthouse facility in Baltimore and delivering it to local hospitals and clinics.
Arc’teryx has helped develop a reusable gown for medical personnel who deal directly with Covid-19 patients, posting its specification for use by other manufacturers on the website of the British Columbia Apparel & Gear Association. The Canadian sportswear brand, which makes much of its own clothing at its own manufacturing site in Vancouver, is using its personnel to make 30,000 such gowns. Its efforts, combined with those of Mustang Survival and Boardroom Clothing, should produce 90,000 gowns.
Salomon, another brand of the Amer Sports group, has announced that its Annecy Design Center (ADC) at its headquarters in France will embark on the production of protective masks. The ADC is normally used by the brand to design prototypes of Salomon’s gear, apparel and footwear, in collaboration with athletes. The goal is to deliver 90,000 masks from April through June. The initiative is carried out in partnership with Chamatex, a long-standing supplier based in the Ardèche department. The non-medical grade masks are nonetheless certified by the French DGA (Direction Général de l’Armement). The protective equipment is intended primarily for French administrations and the business community in all sectors.
Macron, the Italian producer of team jerseys which we have mentioned before, is donating 2,500 surgical masks to Società Dolce, a social cooperative for homeless people accommodated in the dormitories of Bologna, the Italian city where the sportswear firm is also based. The new initiative is part of Macron’s efforts to help the community during the coronavirus pandemic. As previoiusly reported, the company has already made its production and distribution chain available, in China and Italy, to make and distribute face masks, gowns and protective suits. It has already brought to Italy the first 5.6 million masks as well as 20,000 protective suits.
Wolverine Worldwide has donated more than 35,000 face masks to Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The protective equipment will be used by healthcare workers on the frontlines in the fight against coronavirus. An initial lot of more than 1,000 masks was delivered to Spectrum Health the week of April 6.
Hoka One One, part of Deckers Brands, is donating 5,000 pairs of its cushioned sneakers to healthcare workers across the U.S. The first 400 pairs will be distributed to two seriously affected hospitals in the states of New York and New Jersey via a partnership with JackRabbit, a sporting goods chain that is present in the New York area.
Crocs is offering medical personnel in the U.S. battling the Covid-19 pandemic a free pair of Crocs, shipping included. According to Footwear News, the American company began gearing up in late March to dispatch up to 10,000 pairs a day in response to online requests. In addition, Crocs plans to donate up to 100,000 pairs to selected hospitals and clinics. The initiative will continue for as long as inventory permits and is drawing on the cooperation of such retailers as Shoe Carnival, Famous Footwear and Rack Room Shoes.
Alpargatas, the Brazilian group that owns the Havaianas brand, has converted its production lines to make clogs for the medical sector. The company will donate 18,000 pairs of shoes designed for use by healthcare professionals in São Paulo hospitals, made in the Havaianas factories in place of rubber sandals. Through the Havaianas brand, the footwear group said it will also donate 100,000 kits of essential products, including Havaianas items, food and hygiene products, to disadvantaged communities in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Brasília and Belo Horizonte.
Superfeet and a sister company, Flowbuilt Manufacturing, have started producing PPE (personal protective equipment) masks with 3D-printed elements, using their printing and manufacturing facilities in Ferndale, in the state of Washington. Around 30,000 of these masks will be made and immediately distributed to medical facilities in need in the Pacific Northwest.
…and so on with solidarity in our industry….
