To say that the Trump administration has dropped the ball on coronavirus prep would be a massive understatement. They didn’t just drop the ball: they dug a hole in the ground, wiped their butts with the ball, and stabbed it with the last few remaining insulin lancets available. Thanks to their criminal negligence, the richest country in the world is now struggling with a shortage of face masks, virus tests, gloves, and everything else that is essential to have in a pandemic.
Enter Christian Siriano: the Project Runway winner turned A-list fashion designer has pivoted his company from making clothes to designing and manufacturing protective masks. Siriano reached out to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo via Twitter, and Cuomo responded enthusiastically.
If @NYGovCuomo says we need masks my team will help make some. I have a full sewing team still on staff working from home that can help.
— Christian Siriano (@CSiriano) March 20, 2020
We're in contact with @CSiriano. Appreciate his help so much.
Who's next?
Let's do this together, NY! https://t.co/4B43SKguVO
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) March 20, 2020
Siriano said of the pledge, “I am just in a unique scenario where I manufacture everything in New York already, I have a working atelier and everyone’s working from home, and my office is a townhouse, … We’re just able to make them.” Siriano plans to make masks for those on the frontlines: doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers who are braving exposure to the virus on a daily basis.
Siriano continued, “We’re just working on logistics now; who will get them first, how many we can physically make … Hopefully, we can make a thousand in a few days. That’s the goal.” The designer shared some prototypes online, but said he was awaiting approval from the FDA before he begins mass production.
Prototypes are happening more updates by next week. pic.twitter.com/xBPqFtiX0E
— Christian Siriano (@CSiriano) March 20, 2020
According to ABC News, the U.S. currently has a stockpile of 13 million N95 respirator masks. But experts estimate that the country will need up to a billion masks over the next six months.
Those skilled in the fabric arts have also been chipping in by sharing patterns and instructions for crafting your own mask. While a fabric mask may not filter out particles as well as n95s, they are better than nothing.
Medical professionals are also wearing these fabric masks over their remaining n95s to help them last longer. Either way, if you’re the crafty type, it’s a great way to channel your anxiety and do something positive with your free time.
(via Bazaar, image: (Andrew Toth/Getty Images for YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund)
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