Fashion is Passion
In this time of pandemic, we are documenting here the Philippine fashion industry’s sense of bayanihan, one donated PPE at a time.
The horror of the COVID-19 virus has been caused major impact on all of us, but the exhausting challenges of the illness have been too real for our doctors, nurses, medical professionals and overall frontliners all over the world. They have been literally risking their lives in the fight against the corona virus. And in these selfless battles they’ve been facing every single day since the pandemic broke, the only protection they’ve had against the invisible enemy are personal protective equipment (PPE) suits.
At the time of global pandemic when thousands of lives are lost each day, it’s easy to dismiss the importance of fashion in the greater scale of things. Some would go far as to calling fashion useless, and another thing of vanity. But in a thought-provoking paradox of it, designers, patternmakers and sewers are the very people who have actually been developing and creating these basic protection suits for our medical heroes, and these are the same people who compose the fashion industry.
And in the Philippines, bayanihan in the fashion scene has been very much alive. These are some of the brilliant efforts of our Filipino fashion designers and professionals who have sparked the light in us that has inspired us to give selfless donations for the development and creation of PPEs for our modern heroes:
- Medically-Approved PPEs
Filipina fashion designer Mich Dulce first started the call for donations for our frontliners’ PPEs. On March 20, during the country’s first week of lockdown.
The milliner has been known for her designer hats that have been worn by female pop icon Lady Gaga, Gossip Girl’s Leighton Meester, English fashion model Georgia May Jagger, and Vogue editor Anna Dello Russo.
Her efforts to inspire creating PPEs for frontliners have led to creation of PPE suits for doctors accepted as medical grade, and have been adopted since by other countries such as Algeria, Thailand, Bolivia, Michigan, Egypt, Indonesia, Australia, Botswana, Nepal, Belarus, and Morocco. These countries have adopted Mich Dulce’s PPE suits using Taffeta Silver Back Lining (SBL).
The initiative started on March 20, 2020, when Mitch posted that she and Cynthia Diaz had rolls of 75gsm non woven fabric that Diaz would like to donate that can be made into protective suits, masks, and shoe covers.
Dulce first used the Taffeta SBL donated by family and friends of Dr. Reina Diane Tajonera in her design. Cynthia Diaz, co-founder & logistics head of Manila Protective Gear Sewing Club, and Mich Dulce’s collaborator in the PPE project, says the Taffeta SBL material for PPEs is ideal because it is waterproof, reusable or rewashable, and can withstand autoclaving.
“My belief is, everybody has skills that can be used to do something good, to help their country. So if someone says there is a need for something and you know you can make it, why won’t you volunteer to make it?” fashion designer Mich Dulce tells in an interview with ANC, in light of the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) for local medical frontliners.
Dulce and the people behind the Manila Protective Gear Sewing Club, formed to address the lack of PPEs in the country, share the same mindset: “We need to find innovative solutions to what’s going on.”
Their prototype was approved by Infectious Disease Specialist and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jesus Julio Ancheta of Medical City Sta. Rosa.
On March 25, Dulce announced on her Facebook that the protective suit has been medically reviewed by Open Source COVID19 Medical Supplies headed by Gui Cavalcanti in Berkeley, California. She offered her prototype as an open-source gown design.
“We are excited to announce that we have our first medically-reviewed open source suit design!!! The Open Source Medical Supplies medical team has reviewed this gown design, and suggests you make it out of the Tyvek 1433R (i.e. thin and flexible covering) you would find in any hardware store.” Gui Cavalcanti posted.
Manila Protective Gear Sewing Club released the Open Source Protective Suit Technical Pack and Patterns detailed guide on how to create the suit design. The tech pack has been translated into the Indonesian language.
- Customized PPEs Across the Country
Bridal designer Chynna Mamawal has not only been known for her whimsical, dreamy bridal couture creations, but as well as for her sleek, stylish menswear creations. But recently, she has been also making and donating PPEs to frontliners.
The designer’s team, as of April 10, was able to donated more than 1,150 PPEs to more than 35 hospitals across the country from its raised funds of 553, 324 pesos.
“My original target was to produce 100 PPEs only. I can’t believe we’ve produced more that 1,000 PPEs already,” Chynna Mamawal shared on her Instagram account on April 10.
“To our dear frontliners, this is for you. Thank you for your service and all the sacrifices you do for all of us,” Chynna said.
- Free Protective Face Masks
Michael Leyva, known for his high fashion yet wearable couture pieces, had also done his share to extend help. He had sewn hundreds of washable face masks, personally delivering them to the frontliners in Rizal along with meals.
Fashion designer Renan Pacson, who has been known for his fashion-forward ladieswear and edgy yet feminine streetwear, had also been creating face masks, giving them free to those in need.
Fashion designer Santi Obcena, known for his very Filipino sensibilities in his couture masterpieces, had made protective masks for frontliners and volunteers. He shared how he used eco-bag material and excess cotton and denim for a waterproof outer and breathable inner of the masks. His team had a full blown production of protective masks for frontliners.
The pandemic in the country is, as of this writing, far from over. While it is hard to see the brighter side of things, we have to push ourselves to remember that the goodness in people still exist. And doing our best to give service and help to others will always be in style.
