Fashion designer, Nicola Luther, is lending a helping hand to frontline workers who have been at the forefront fighting the COVID-19 battle in the country.
Luther, who is the creative director of Lunar Lifestyle, has donated 25 handmade scrubs designed by the brand to medical staff in Gauteng.
The brand has gone against its normal use of eco-friendly fabric to accommodate the medical standards of scrubs – just this once.
“We worked with a medical supply company on this initiative, so the fabric is the normal medical grade fabric – a polyester blend. We usually never use synthetic fabrics because of the adverse effects they have on the planet and our water supplies. However, during this pandemic, the more urgent crisis is keeping people alive so we made the decision to compromise (just this once) on our stance on fiercely protecting the planet to now fiercely protect our front-line workers as best we can,” said Luther.
In creating these scrubs, Luther said her team has had to work from home to avoid contracting the disease.
“So far we’ve been able to complete 25. Creating these scrubs has been particularly challenging as our teams are working from their individual homes (for their safety) so it’s been a bit of a slow process and a logistical nightmare! But we’re hoping to be able to make many more over time,”
“Lunar believes strongly in people. Supporting people and community is one of our primary values along with protecting our planet. In this crazy awful time of this pandemic, it is more urgent than ever to help each other out wherever we can. PPE is highly necessary at the moment to keep our frontline workers safe, whilst they care for us and try to contain this virus so we’re thrilled to be able to assist whatever very small way we can,” said Luther.
SAFW director Lucilla Booyzen said she was proud of the proactive role it’s designers have played during these times.
“I am extremely proud of the proactive role that the South African Fashion Week’s designers have played in tackling the consequences of the COVID -19 pandemic and its catastrophic economic effects on communities in South Africa.
“From the beginning, they put their Collections on the back burner, putting all their efforts into designing and manufacturing masks, not only to keep their studios and staff going but also to using their expert talents in creating desirable ‘designer masks’ for everyday wearing,” said Booyzen.
