If you spent any amount of time scrolling through your IG or Twitter feed last night, it’s likely that you’re fully aware of the devastating fire that ravaged through the cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris.
As the blaze took hold of the building in the early hours of the evening, the city’s residents took to the streets nearby to console each other, watching as plumes of smoke rose from the iconic Gothic landmark’s roof and filled the sky. Others shared photographs and memories of Notre-Dame across social media, with the likes of Simon Porte Jacquemus, Helmut Lang, and Riccardo Tisci among them.
Now, two of fashion’s biggest businessmen have pledged to donate some pretty huge sums of money to restoring the UNESCO-listed site. But then, it's probably not that surprising that you’d want to lend a helping hand when you've got uber-profitable, mega-brands including Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Balenciaga on your roster.
First to support the cause was Kering chief executive François-Henri Pinault – who, along with Gucci and Balenciaga, also owns Saint Laurent – who offered up €100 million to the building’s regeneration.
Soon after, and seemingly not wanting to be outdone, LVMH’s Bernard Arnault pledged an even more casual €200 million: “The Arnault family and the LVMH group would like to show their solidarity at this time of national tragedy, and are joining up to help rebuild this extraordinary cathedral, which is a symbol of France, of its heritage, and of French unity,” he explained in a statement.
With the fire brought under control in the early hours of Tuesday morning, and many historic artworks and religious artefacts saved by firefighters, it is believed it will be possible to rebuild much of the cathedral. Whether any new iterations of its famous gargoyles will be named after Pinault or Arnault in tribute to their generosity remains to be seen – watch this space.
