When big news breaks, we know we can count on her voice to tell it like it is. And on March10th, as COVID-19 rose to infamy around the world, Cardi B said it all. “Coronavirus! **** is getting real!” she exclaimed, dazzling in a chain link dress. And Cardi B was on point. The chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic was just beginning.
The Online Fast-Fashion Brand
By now, fans worldwide are familiar with Cardi B sharing her often hilarious and outspoken opinions online. Her opinions on the Coronavirus were no exception, posting live updates on her Instagram feed as the country moved towards social distancing measures. Just as shelter-in-place orders were being announced across the United States, Cardi took to Instagram to express her feelings on the newly understood novel Coronavirus, prompting a viral hip hop remix by DJ iMarkkeyz, and a promise to her fans—she would figure out a way to help those in need during the pandemic.
Cardi was true to her word and she wasn’t the only one looking for a way to help. Fashion Nova, the online fast-fashion brand with over 18 million Instagram followers, was also looking for a way to give back. The two came together to support their fans in these unprecedented times.
Fashion Nova has been around since 2006, expanding its business to an e-commerce operation in 2013. Since then, they’ve aimed to reach consumers through popular online personalities.
Fashion Nova touts celebrity and influencer endorsements from all over the world, and for good reason. Fans rave over their sizing inclusivity, fast shipping, and undoubtedly sexy summer fashion. Cardi B has a particularly close relationship with the fast-fashion brand, releasing her first collection in 2018, and later, her second collection in 2019. In fact, Cardi has consistently supported the brand even before her superstardom, rocking Fashion Nova’s form-fitting outfits and sky-high heels on VH1’s Love and Hip Hop: New York.
Fashion Nova and Cardi B are showing their care by teaming up to provide relief to those hit the hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 8th, Cardi and Fashion Nova announced they’d be giving out $1000 an hour for the next 42 days to those severely impacted. Their initiative, Fashion Nova Cares with Cardi B, has garnered enormous attention.
By the time the Fashion Nova Cares with Cardi B initiative wrapped up, the team had given away $1,000,000 in donations. Cardi B and Fashion Nova assured fans that their donations will go to the people who need them most.
Cardi kept it real with, as always, ensuring her fans that she and Fashion Nova are being careful to make sure their donations truly make a difference. She hopped on Instagram in early April to explain her intentions, noting, “You know sometimes you give to a charity and you wonder, like hm, is it really going to the people? Well, we’re gonna make sure it’s really going to the people”.
Cardi and Fashion Nova’s advocacy for affordable, flattering clothing has always been for everyday people, and it’s clear during this pandemic that their hearts are in the same place.
Since their first posts on April 8th, Cardi B and Fashion Nova have been spreading the message across social media, inviting fans to let them know how they’ve been negatively affected by COVID-19. Fashion Nova writes on their Instagram, “We’ve teamed up to help you pay your bills, feed your families and provide essential necessities as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic”.
A month ago, in a post with over 587,000 likes, Cardi invited fans to tell the story of how they’d been personally impacted by the pandemic in the comment section. Under
#FashionNovaCARES, Instagram users could share how their lives had been turned upside down by COVID-19. Thousands of submissions poured in.
In a time of unusually high social media engagement due to social distancing, both Cardi B and Fashion Nova have created spaces of comfort and understanding for their fans.
Cardi B and Fashion Nova want their supporters to know they recognize the amazing support they’ve received over the years, and they intend to give back generously during this tumultuous time across the world.
Cardi remarked in an April 8th Instagram post, “Don’t be shy, sometimes
you gotta ask for some help!” In classic Cardi style, she invited her fans to be honest, and more than anything, do their best to take care of themselves and each other.
On May 3rd, Fashion Nova Cares with Cardi B had already given away half a million dollars. Cardi encouraged fans to send her more ideas about how she could engage specific communities on Instagram Live and give even more money to those in need. She even suggested setting up a special fund for New Yorkers affected by the crisis, being a proud Bronx, New York native herself.
Though the world has been physically distanced from friends and relatives for a while now, Fashion Nova Cares with Cardi B reminds everyone the ways celebrities and brands can make us feel less alone.
Customers have always been at the center of Richard Saghian’s Fashion Nova brand, and they’re truly embracing this identity by connecting with everyday people in a time of need. Not only have their comments boomed since the giveaway started, but they’ve also developed a new trust between brand and customer.
In a time of global uncertainty, Cardi B and Fashion Nova show they’ve got a lot of love for their fans. And just as Cardi B so bluntly posted on Instagram, Coronavirus is indeed very real, and now, Fashion Nova Cares with Cardi B has shown us that kindness is also real, alive and well.