Here’s How Designers Can Actually Help Meet the Mask and Medical Supplies Shortage During the Coronavirus Crisis

Fashion designers have likely been feeling pretty helpless in the face of COVID-19. Their jobs are collaborative by nature—i.e., not exactly suited to our current #WFH isolation—and in the face of a global pandemic, they probably didn’t think they could offer much help. That’s changed in the past week: The industry has collectively reacted to the shocking lack of medical supplies in U.S. hospitals, particularly masks, by making their own. On Friday, I published a story that documented the extreme conditions nurses like my twin sister, Liz, are facing, and received dozens of emails and Instagram messages from designers, manufacturers, and complete strangers offering their services.  
 Around the time my story was published, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo also put out an official call to the apparel industry to start making masks and gowns. Christian Siriano was among the first to respond, writing: “I have a full sewing team still on staff working from home that can help.” Brandon Maxwell and Rosie Assoulin have also been researching the best way to make masks and gowns. At first glance, these items seem like they should be pretty easy to make: If you have a needle, thread, and the right materials, shouldn’t we all be getting to work? 
 Figuring out what qualifies as the “right” materials was the missing link. After days of research, Siriano is now making washable masks for hospital personnel—not doctors or nurses. His team confirmed these masks are not medical grade, and are recommended for lower-risk staff and administrators who are not in contact with COVID-19 patients. Jonathan Cohen told me he couldn’t find substantive information about medical-grade materials he should use, and since he doesn’t have his own factory, he does not have the connections or capital to place massive orders for a supply of medical fabric. There’s also the issue of FDA regulations and sterility; masks typically arrive at hospitals with a stack of paperwork and certifications. Brittany Howard, who owns the Portland Garment Factory, has been making surgical masks using “a polypropylene spun-bound nonwoven material,” which she has to order in huge volumes and describes as “medical grade, but not FDA-approved.” They sit somewhere in between those proper masks and the DIY varieties we’re seeing on Instagram. 
 Understandably, it’s all creating a bit of confusion. Designers want to help and have piles of unused fabric in their studios, but my research—and my conversations with New York doctors and nurses—suggests health care workers won’t have much use for DIY fabric masks. As Siriano likely learned, a fabric mask can block out fluids, but it cannot protect you from airborne particles or viruses, particularly one as contagious as the coronavirus. In fact, even a proper, FDA-approved surgical mask can’t do that: The CDC clearly states that a surgical mask “is not considered respiratory protection.” (Hospitals are still in desperate need of surgical masks, though: Last night, my sister told me her NICU had completely run out, and they need these masks for non-coronavirus-related procedures, like labor and delivery.) 
 What doctors and nurses are most in need of are N95 respirator masks, which are typically molded (not cut-and-sewn) and must meet a long list of FDA requirements. Per the CDC, an N95 filters out 95% of airborne particles and is regarded as the very best protection against viruses. The CDC also states that N95s should be discarded after each use or if they become contaminated—yet health care workers are being forced to use the same N95 over and over, or they’re not using one at all because their hospital is running out.  
 Designers can’t make N95s in their studios, as they require specific equipment and must adhere to strict regulations. But larger brands or fashion groups with factories in China, where most N95s are produced, may be able to adjust their supply chains to make them. Zinntex, a New York–based apparel group owned by brothers Ricky, Ithan, and Barry Zinn, spent most of last week reorganizing its supply chain and partnering with suppliers in China to do just that. Zinntex is now able to produce 100,000 N95s a day, and the Zinns are in touch with Governor Cuomo to get them into New York hospitals. 
 Small designers shouldn’t be deterred from trying to help, either. They can purchase N95s and donate them to hospitals, or they can support new platforms like Mask a Hero or Mask Match, which are collecting N95s to give to hospital workers. Pyer Moss’s Kerby Jean-Raymond has transformed his studio into a donation center for N95s and other medical supplies. (This writer is also working on collecting N95s from the global fashion community—call me!) These initiatives exist because there are, in fact, tons of N95s out there—they just aren’t in the right hands. The shortage partly comes down to the millions of regular citizens who purchased N95s in January and February, leaving few for the medical professionals who really need them.  
 On that note, a less tangible but equally impactful way designers can make a difference is by educating their followers about what kinds of masks they should be using. Unless you’re working in a hospital, are immunocompromised, or live with someone who’s been diagnosed with COVID-19, you do not need to wear an N95 mask. In fact, the CDC says you don’t need to wear a mask at all, but if wearing one makes you feel safer—or inhibits you from touching your face—go with a fabric mask or bandana.
 
 As for those fabric masks, I think designers should keep making them—they just need to be careful to market them to the right people, like you and me. Selling masks on Instagram can help keep their staff employed and their community engaged, especially if they’re using beautiful leftover materials. “Maybe we should start a trade-in program,” Howard told me. “Bring in an N95 for hospital workers, and get a ‘fashion mask’ made of leftover fabric in return.” It’s an idea worth exploring, because the shortage is likely to plague us for weeks, if not months, and we need to do everything we can to get proper masks in the hands of health care workers.  
 The CFDA echoed these sentiments, and has been working closely with the New York City Economic Development Corporation to gather information and resources for designers. “The various forms of fabric masks that the industry and everyday Americans are making cannot protect medical professionals as much as the N95 and KN95 masks,” Cal McNeil, a program manager at the CFDA, insists. “The phrase ‘anything is better [than nothing]’ is only valid to a point, so I think considering a shift to produce other PPE [personal protective equipment] products that can end up in the hands of hospitals and keep their front-line workers the safest should take precedence.”  
 Those products could include isolation gowns, which doctors and nurses wear over their scrubs in certain scenarios. They’re typically non-sterile and are used for physical—not respiratory—protection, so the likelihood of hospitals accepting them is much higher. The CFDA stresses that “those who are contributing to PPE production [should] ensure they are producing goods that can be of use to the most critical groups, such as medical professionals, or those on the front lines of fighting this virus, so hospitals can accept the PPE products being made.” As for the rest of us: Stay home, buy a fabric mask, and donate whatever you can!