The black sweaters, with the “vaccinated” writing in red on the chest, were first created by a small Los Angeles company called Cloney without the Italian brand knowing about them.

When Valentino’s designer, Pierpaolo Piccioli, found out about the initiative, he decided to buy all the initial five hoodies available and give them as a present to friends, including Lady Gaga.

He then went on to produce a series of hoodies to be sold on Valentino’s website from today. Proceeds will go to Unicef to support its work with the global vaccine-sharing platform Covax, which is focused on getting anti-coronavirus jabs to poorer countries.

“Getting vaccinated has become the most effective way to fight this global pandemic, as well as a symbol of respect for others and social responsibility,” Piccioli said in a statement today.