Uniqlo would donate 1 million euros and 50,000 garments to support communities affected by the wildfires ravaging Gironde and Var, according to WWD. These fires have forced thousands of residents to evacuate, destroyed vast forested areas and placed significant pressure on emergency services in the south of the country.
Uniqlo France's general manager, Yuki Yamada, described the images and accounts coming from the Bordeaux region and the Var as « deeply heartbreaking ». He added: « Our thoughts are with everyone affected by these devastating wildfires, as well as the firefighters, volunteers, and local organizations working tirelessly day and night to protect people and communities. »
The financial donation and the clothing contribution would aim to provide, according to Yamada, « both immediate and long-term support » to affected communities.
Two local organizations supported
The Secours Populaire Français, which provides emergency assistance to displaced residents, and Sud-Ouest Solidarité, which supports firefighters by purchasing new equipment, remote-controlled firefighting robots, reconnaissance drones and medical response vehicles, would reportedly be among the beneficiary organizations.
Uniqlo would also launch an in-store collection campaign across all of its stores in France, with proceeds benefiting the French Croix-Rouge. Customer donations would be matched by the retailer and directed toward firefighting operations as well as the most urgent humanitarian needs in affected areas.
A long-standing commitment to disaster response
The retailer states that this donation is part of its long-standing commitment to disaster response, through which the group has provided financial assistance, clothing donations and long-term support to communities affected by incidents around the world. Uniqlo had notably pledged 100,000 euros to the Displacement Film Fund, announced at the Festival de Cannes, as part of an initiative supporting refugee filmmakers.
Uniqlo remains in contact with local organizations to identify priority needs and assess whether additional support will be needed in the coming weeks.
