Over the past few weeks, many luxury fashion companies have been working hard to contribute to COVID-19 relief efforts. While some companies such as Prada and Louis Vuitton have begun using their factories to produce medical supplies and protective equipment, other companies have started donating a portion of their profits to those in need.
High-end streetwear brands Supreme and Takashi Murakami have teamed up on a special edition release for which all the profits will be donated to those struggling due to the coronavirus outbreak. The charity they’ve chosen, HELP USA, supports youth and families struggling with homelessness during this time. The collaboration features a white tee shirt that features the classic Supreme box logo filled with Murakami’s signature “flowers and skulls” motif.
Originally the price was set at $60 on Supreme’s official website, however, luxury resale websites such as Grailed and StockX faced backlash for reselling these shirts for anywhere between $1000-$2000. However, both companies released statements explaining that they will also be donating the proceeds to charity.
A representative from Grailed said “Grailed’s proceeds from all sales of the Takashi Murakami x Supreme Box Logo T-shirts will be donated directly back to HELP USA, the same charity supported by the original retail release. We feel this is a small, but appropriate way to follow Supreme’s good example.” Similarly, StockX announced, “For the next 30 days, StockX will also donate the proceeds from sales of the Supreme COVID-19 Relief Box Logo Tee to HELP USA.”
It’s very admirable that many of the biggest names in fashion are using their vast resources in an attempt to help smaller companies and people in need during this time of hardship, despite having lost millions of dollars in revenue over the past month. Hopefully, as more companies help combat this outbreak and lend support to the global community, we can see an end to this crisis soon.