By Maggie Fuller and Claudia Cardia
May 22, 2020
illustration by Claudia Cardia
They’ve retooled their production lines and are making the hand sanitizer and masks we all desperately need right now.
Video transcription:
During the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re facing a shortage of crucial health and safety supplies. But across the United States, fashion designers and distillers have switched gears and are making the masks and hand sanitizer that are in such short supply.
Over 750 distillers—whether they make craft bourbon in Kentucky, gin in the Bay Area, vodka in Texas, or rum in Florida—have started to churn out high-proof alcohol for hand sanitizer. And clothing designers from Los Angeles to New York have added cotton masks, sewn with leftover fabric, to their spring lineups.
Many of these adaptable producers are small artisans and are supporting their communities by donating the sanitizer and masks they’ve made to keep local essential workers safe. Think: food bank volunteers, law enforcement officers, dentists, postal workers, restaurant employees, and more. Others are using the proceeds from the sales of these supplies to support local nonprofits, buy medical-grade protective equipment for hospitals, or to rehire and support their staff.
In a time of such uncertainty, these initiatives are raising our spirits and keeping us covered.
>>Next: How to Support Small Businesses in Italy When You Can’t Travel There
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