By 
Can you sew/cut or fold? Based near North London?
Read on for more information on how you can help in the effort to get much needed PPE out there…
Caroline Gration, Founder of The Fashion School, relays:
“The Fashion School and The Royal Brompton Hospital now have 3 sewing machine rooms, cutting, folding rooms with over 60 selfless volunteers working as piece workers, it’s a team effort all round. The output will be 650 -700 a day by the end of the week and The Fashion School is now in talks with other London hospitals to create further sanitised workshops so the surgical gowns can go straight from sewing machine and on a health worker’s back in a Covid ward, in a matter of hours.
Each volunteer has a story. Many come from the fashion industry and may have lost their jobs; others have been self-isolating on their own for weeks without anyone to talk to. We have families, students, fashion designers such as Michael Halpern, stylist from St Laurent shows, creative director from Agnona, students from CSM who have all come in to selflessly volunteer, mostly through Sarah Mower putting a shout out. She came in on Wednesday to see everyone. There is lots of laughter and positivity in every room. Music playing and social distance dancing!
Safety measures
Everyone follows strict protocol to make sure infection is kept to a minimum. There are hospital staff with us at all times to ensure procedure is kept to NHS standards. The workrooms are sanitised and the surgical gowns are waterproof and absorbent, made from operating theatre drapes in hygienic wrapping. It isn’t possible for surgical gowns to be made at home because of these reasons.
We’re now in conversation with Bethany Williams and Phoebe English. We’ve passed our pattern onto Royal Marsden, Leeds, samples to St Bart’s and a PDF will be emailed to Homerton, York and care homes, so I can advise.
The Fashion School’s ethos is all about creative sustainability and zero waste, if someone told me 3 months ago that I would be mass producing garments in synthetic fabrics and getting applauded for it I wouldn’t have believed it.
Today we start with The Royal Free in Hampstead in their medical school (I think) to produce PPE surgical gowns using volunteers from North London.”
If you would like to volunteer for The Royal Free, please contact jenny.todd1@nhs.net and say whether you can sew, cut or fold. The garments are incredibly easy and the machinists work by piece work. The Fashion School is very keen to meet you, and thanks!
Please follow us on Instagram for this week’s news. https://www.instagram.com/thefashionschooluk/ and we’re looking for donations of pale blue thread, pins and scissors, if any individuals or companies are willing to help.
