Designer Christian Siriano Is Making Medical Masks for New York’s Coronavirus Crisis

Christian Siriano is joining the fight against the coronavirus in a unique way: making medical masks.

When New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a press conference today that medical workers are running low on masks, the New York-based designer heard the news and took to social media to announce that his team is more than willing to help make more.

This tweet sparked a conversation between Siriano and the governor as they officially announced that they are in contact; Cuomo encouraged more to step forward by saying: “Appreciate his help so much. Who’s next?”

Siriano shared a prototype of a mask modeled by one of his staff members on Instagram as she explained the next steps the team will be taking in designing the medical gear. Siriano captioned the post: “We will be making a few versions and hopefully a few hundred pieces ready to go very soon.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/B999bFPnknZ/

The coronavirus was deemed a pandemic by the World Health Organization last week. In the state of New York as of Friday morning, there are over 7,100 reported cases with more than 4,400 in New York City alone. This growing global crisis led the governor to issue a statewide order mandating that all nonessential workers stay home. Gov. Gavin Newsom of California announced similar stay-at-home orders on Thursday night for the West Coast state, which went into effect on Friday.

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Other designers and celebrities, such as Kylie Jenner and Bella Hadid, have used their platform to raise awareness about the importance of social distancing during this time, while major brands like Zadig & Voltaire and Kenneth Cole and personalities from Ciara to Justin Bieber donated dollars to COVID-19 related causes.

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