When Covid-19 hit, one thing was blatantly clear: the stockpile of PPE (personal protective equipment) was desperately low. My daughter-in-law Libby Mattern, production director at Malia Mills (swimwear and ready-to-wear designer and domestic manufacturer) is also founder of Course of Trade, a registered 501c3 dedicated to providing industrial sewing training to New Yorkers in need — no previous sewing experience necessary. As the pandemic continued to spread, it was obvious that the time was right to revive the declining garment industry in NYC. The racks of Malia Mills swimsuits and clothing took a back seat so that Course of Trade could shift the company’s focus. They are now producing over 2,800 isolation gowns every week for front-line hospital workers in NYC. “Coronavirus is an important time for small businesses, large businesses, and the government to band together to help in whatever way we can. This is what makes NYC manufacturing, and people behind sewing machines,...
A Blurb-ologist's Perspective