face masks toronto

People all over Toronto are now creating face masks for Michael Garron Hospital

It seems like everyone is using what they have on hand to help out during the COVID-19 pandemic, including many local Toronto designers who've switched gears to producing face masks for hospitals.

The shortage on personal protective equipment has promoted many designers to use their production capabilities to create medical-grade masks for frontline healthcare workers in Toronto hospitals.

Several local designers have already shifted production to create non-medical masks for businesses, communtities and personal use, but now many are shifting gears to create medical-grade masks that could be used in hospitals.

Last week, the Michael Garron Hospital put a call out for east Toronto sewists to help produce some of the 1,000 face masks needed on a weekly basis.

Custom bespoke menwear designers King & Bay decided to step up and refigure its supply line to produce much-need masks for hospitals.

"We have dedicated our resources since the state of emergency shutdown to making facesmasks for hospitals and the community," said director of sales Aashif Jamani.

The hospital has provided an outline of how to create masks that can be worn by healthcare workers, and King & Bay says they're sourcing material from old cotton shirts and encouraging others to participate in the Shirt Off Your Back challenge (#soybfacemaskchallenge) and make their own.

UK Desiger Sale, a story in the Beaches, is making their masks out of t-shirts and table linens.

The masks are creative. Designers are producing masks in all sorts of patterns.

This designer's masks feature a cute owl.

While this designer is making everything by hand since they don't have a sewing machine

And this face mask designer is pitching in as a thank you to the hospital who helped a family member recover from a head injury years ago.

And it's not just designers that are helping the hospital right now. Private school Upper Canada College recently donated all their gloves from their science department to the cause.

If you're not a sewer or don't have a science lab, there are other ways you can help too. Michael Garron has listed a number of things you can do to help them fight against COVID-19 here.

Lead photo by

ukdsfashion


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