Oracle Spring 2020

The year 2020 has certainly brought its share of hardships for many and, for some, devastating loss. The coronavirus pandemic affected so much of our daily life and the world had to adapt to a new way of living in order to stay safe and healthy. With the news of COVID-19’s impact on the econ- omy, travel and, of course, health, it’s hard to imagine that the deadly virus has encour- aged the start of a new fashion trend; nev- ertheless, that seemingly is the case. The fashion industry, like many others, is taking a considerable hit due to the out- break. However, one surprising element of the pandemic has been the need for face masks, which are now being printed in all shapes, sizes, colors and customizations. This new trend has seemingly broken the internet amid the concern and chaos. F ace masks have become essential items — and interesting fashion accessories — during this time, and social media channels have been promoting them heavily. Be ready to pay quite a lot for some of the more fash- ionable face masks. The Italian brand Off- White b ecame the most popular new acces- sory of this season, with face masks priced between $100 and $1,000 on Farfetch. According to Lyst.com’s first-quarter index, that very mask was named the “hottest men’s product” and Off-White the “hottest brand.” Also, according to Lyst, over the first quarter of 2020, when the coro- navirus pandemic reached its global apex, the site estimated that searches for masks increased 496 percent, with Off-White’s logo style being the most popular. This is an unprecedented percentage of increase. However, there are a lot of customized masks being offered by different showrooms and other brands. People have even started making brand masks out of material from items that they bought in the past, which looks pretty cool and stylish and it is much cheaper. It also looks really unique. This new trend of 2020 became such a success in the world of fashion and, in my opinion, the style has no limits. No matter what is happening in the world, designers still have their passion and great imagination to create different and unique items that will attract a lot of people's attention. It’s good to know that you can still look fabulous and fashionable by wearing a designer mask and being safe at the same time. As a fashion blogger, I firmly believe that this initiative was such a big step forward for the fashion industry as it has given new life to brands when times are extremely tough. Big Name Brands Give Back Countries around the globe are still struggling to fight the coronavirus. The most important thing at this time is to be strong, united and supportive in every way possible. In the fashion world, the most successful and powerful icons have made substantial donations to help those affected by the virus worldwide. French luxury group Kering (the parent company of such brands as Gucci, Alexan- der McQueen and Balenciaga) and Ameri- can brands Tiffany & Co. a nd AG Jeans a re the three latest labels to announce that they will each commit $1 million to organizations battling COVID-19. Recently, the founders of Michael Kors, Jimmy Choo and Versace — along with their parent company, Capri Holdings Limited — donated a combined $3 million to the coronavirus fight. Tiffany & Co. Chair and President Anisa Kamadoli Costa said, “During this global health crisis, we must all be responsive to the urgent needs of our global communi- ties.” It is a great statement to make at this time. She also said, “We are proud to sup- port organizations providing immediate relief for communities impacted by COVID- 19, including our hometown of New York.” Among fashion corporations, even some of the employees of Tiffany & Co. decided to donate. The jeweler will give $750,000 to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for the World Health Or- ganization, it was announced. Meanwhile, Californian brand AG Jeans also announced its donation. It will provide support to hospitals and clinics across the county as well as aid in the roll- out of coronavirus testing. In addition, the brand has promised to keep sending pay- checks and benefits to its more than 2,000 factory and retail employees through April. Also, Kering previously announced it will produce more than one million surgical masks and gowns for healthcare workers. This is a brave and robust step to take for these companies. As we know, all of their boutiques and stores are closed all around the globe, which means that they are also enduring a crisis right now. Yet these corpo- rations are still trying to help no matter what, which shows that all of us have to be strong and united during this hard time. By: Yevgen Naydonov, Grade 12 A Passion For Fashion S P R I N G 2 0 2 0 , T H E A D E L P H I O R A C L E , P A G E 1 9 Stylish, branded face masks have become a worldwide fashion trend. This one from Italian brand Off-White caused buzz. Image: Off-White Fashionable face masks are popping up all over the internet. Image: Pinterest