After The New York Times posted an article stating how vital masks are amid the coronavirus outbreak, a New York City-based fabric company grabbed their sewing machines and got to work.
Gladson Ltd., a luxury fabric merchant who supplies to companies such as Paul Smith, Gucci, Paul Stuart, and Stella McCartney, started by consulting with Dr. Lauren Streicher about the cloth specifications for masks, including grade and weight. With the information in hand, Gladson began its new mission to make one million masks for local hospitals.
After searching through their New Jersey warehouse for cotton, Gladson then began to reach out to their tailors and asked if they would be willing to make masks for the public. The company then began to send out cotton to their tailors, including Dara Lamb, or Dara Lamb Atelier New York, so the tailors could start putting together the masks.
“As a life-long New Yorker, I chose to make the finest custom clothing for women right here, because I wanted to support our local labor force and skilled artisans,” said Lamb. “I am glad to know these skills we’ve preserved can now be redeployed to help in this crisis.”
Once the masks are made, Gladson will work on the next steps to getting the masks sent to local hospitals.
“COVID-19 has left us in these times of uncertainty feeling frustrated and hopeless and it is further highlighted by the volatility of the market and the impact on our industry,” said Guy Milinazzo, Executive Vice President, Gladson NY. “I am grateful to customers like Dara Lamb (bespoke womenswear tailor in NYC) and Marc Streisand (Mark Allen clothiers in Providence, R.I.) who have both contacted Gladson with the idea to help the people on the front lines in the medical field.”
“I have a daughter who is a nurse, so this is close to home for me. With these efforts afoot, I believe we will persevere. Side note: it feels good to help in any small way we can.” Milinazzo added.
