Haute Couture Braves COVID-19 Fallout

Mexico’s COVID-19 policies in terms of retail hours and conditions have been a patchwork with strong contrasts. For example, the State of Mexico has imposed strong measures calling for the closing of all businesses that sell anything other than food or medicine, while neighboring Mexico City has been more flexible regarding these measures.  

Mexico City has a significant concentration of luxury fashion brand stores and these businesses have had some very particular responses to the crisis. Sandro and Maje, known as high fashion brands belonging to the prominent French group SMCP, have decided to keep their Mexico stores open. The Sandro and Maje stores in Mexico City fashion mall Artz Pedregal will be open from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., while the Sandro store in Puebla’s shopping complex Angelopolis will also remain open.

According to a report by Fashion Network, both brands released similar statements promising an upgrade in their sanitary practices in order to take care of their customer’s health. “For Sandro, everybody’s health is what is most important. This moment we are currently experiencing has no precedent and has forced us to take firm sanitary measures to protect our community,” according to the company's statement. A statement released by Maje highlighted that the store is “searching for alternatives to continue offering an excellent shopping and service experience.”

Meanwhile, renowned Mexican fashion designer Carla Fernández has implemented an approach in her retail space that mixes store closings in some locations with limited opening hours in other locations. Some of her stores located in Mexico City and one in San Miguel de Allende have been closed. Nevertheless, other stores in Mexico City and in Mérida have only limited their working hours.