Dior reopened its factory so volunteer artisans can start making hand-sewn masks

• On Tuesday, Dior announced that it had reopened at least one of its ateliers in France to make face masks, becoming the latest luxury brand to help out with the medical supply shortage amid the coronavirus pandemic.
• The luxury and fashion sectors are bracing for a major revenue hit due to the pandemic.
• Vogue Business' Annachiara Biondi reported that the fashion and luxury sector as a whole could see a $600 billion decline in sales this year.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Dior announced on Tuesday that it had reopened its Baby Dior workshop in France to help make face masks amid the supply shortage across the country. The brand joins other luxury fashion companies like Gucci, Burberry, and Chanel that are transforming their factories into medical supply factories to aid in fighting the crisis.

"We are proud to reopen our @BabyDior_official ateliers in Redon, which since yesterday have begun the continuous production of new masks on a volunteer basis," Dior said on Instagram. "Dior is actively committed to aiding and protecting all those who are on the front line every day. Thank you to our wonderful petites mains who, in an exceptional show of solidarity, are working tirelessly to protect them."

The company followed up with another post, saying that it is going to produce the masks "for invaluable people working selflessly on the front lines" and that the company will return "more creative than ever to continue making you dream."

"We proudly salute this gesture which once again shows the generosity of our ateliers and laboratories, more committed than ever to ensuring your protection," Dior continued. "Take care of yourself, we are by your side."

It's unclear how many workshops Dior has in France, how many people typically work in the Baby Dior ateliers, and whether the artisans voluntarily working to make the masks are being compensated in any way. Dior didn't immediately respond to a request for comment and clarification from Business Insider.

The luxury sector has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic

Vogue Business' Annachiara Biondi reported that the fashion and luxury sector as a whole could see a $600 billion decline in sales, with luxury brands specifically seeing between $85 and $120 billion in declined sales for 2020. Contributing to this is the fact that tourism and discretionary spending are expected to drop significantly, especially as the US enters a possible recession. The timeline for when the sector could recover is still uncertain.

Still, the grim outlook hasn't stopped the industry from giving back to those who need help.

Dior's parent company, LVMH, announced on March 21 that it was going to order 40 million face masks from China to send to France. LVMH also announced it would use the perfume factories of Dior and Givenchy to start making "large quantities" of alcohol-based sanitizers, which would be given free of charge to French healthcare authorities.

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