“What can I do for you?” Melinda Looi asked the healthcare workers—these few words would soon nurture a tiny, important idea. It started off when she realised smaller clinics couldn’t retrieve essential supplies like ventilators, face masks, and hospital gowns. The number of Covid 19 cases outnumbered the number of tools doctors and frontliners needed to keep the people alive.
“They are usually the ones that go unnoticed, when you compare them to larger hospitals during this war against the coronavirus,” she says. “There must be something we can do with our niche to help ease the pressure off of our community”.
With that in mind, she joined forces with a growing number of local fashion designers. Big names such as Celest Thoi, Alia Astamam, Khoon Hooi, Jimmy Lim, KitWoo, and more gathered together to create the Malaysian “emergency designer network”. Masks and hospital gowns skilfully crafted to curb the lack of medical necessities starting yesterday. Malaysia’s biggest creatives, putting their renowned skills to dire use. They sparked a positive ripple effect that stretches like an incredible interwoven tapestry.
“From vast corporations, independent design companies, to social volunteers, we’ve been flooded with responses as people are eager to make up for the current shortfall at healthcare facilities across the country. As long as you have a sewing machine and scissors in hand—we need you. But we’re also in need of raising funds to keep the project afloat.” Truly, anything helps.
“At the time being, 2,000 meters of non-woven fabrics can produce up to 600 surgical gowns. We can make a few thousand more, but we need money to buy materials. They come at a high cost.”
Celest Thoi, the founder of Celest Thoi Bridal describes her experience in this heartwarming coalition, “It's such a humbling experience to be able to join other likeminded designers to do this. I've been making gowns but never gowns of this nature—one that saves lives!”
Pictures via Melinda Looi, Celest Thoi, Alia Astamam, Khoon Hooi, Jimmy Lim, Kit Woo
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