Lockdown ends with stylish PPE solutions by Irish designers
WHILE lockdown has ended on the Irish front against the coronavirus pandemic the advice is to use caution when using public transportation or entering public places, including shopping centres and stores.
Irish designers are producing face masks for home consumer use
Personal Protective Equipment, or PPE has been essential for the healthcare frontline and will continue to be, and Irish designers have come up with innovative solutions to supply effective and stylish face masks for home use.
Top Irish fashion designer Helen Cody has created a pattern and guide for making masks at home using high thread count material for a high degree of filtration. Fabrics can be fun and quirky, in patterns or block colours and can be hand-sewn or on a sewing machine.
Patterns are available to make face masks at home with a few simple materials and tools
“Whatever you do at home you need a really high thread count because you don’t want a loose, porous fabric for obvious reasons, to filter out all the bad stuff,” said Helen Cody in a recent tutorial video. “It is actually quite a nice shape. It just sits on your ears.”
If the thought of handcrafting a face mask brings on a cold sweat, there are Irish designers who have made their creations available online.
Handmade masks from the Irish Linen House in Dublin Smithfield, made from pure Irish linen are selling for €16 in a variety of colours, and We Make Good masks for €25 by The Irish Textile Studio provides jobs and training for refugee women.
Top Irish designer Helen Cody has shared her pattern for making face masks at home
Trousseau Ireland is selling handmade masks in a blend of linen, cotton and antimicrobial bamboo for €8.95 for adults and €3.95 for children, and Stable of Ireland eco-friendly travel masks for €20 are available in a variety of colours.
Spacey Studio’s Creative Director, Niamh McCabe in Dublin is producing fabric blends that can be customised for €33 each, and 15 percent of the proceeds are being donated to the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre.
Linen comfort masks priced at €12 each are being made by John England in County Down and are available in a variety of colours.
Recommendations for ease of care and laundering are that masks should be made from breathable, high thread count fabric and cotton-lined where necessary.
