Most of us probably think about fashion when we think of Gap or Canada Goose. Although that is accurate, they also are now helping hospitals who are desperate for medical gear.
Gap Inc. is the parent company of a number of well-known brands, including Old Navy, Athleta, Banana Republic, Gap, Janie and Jack, and Intermix. As they shut their doors across North America on March 19, they began converting their factories to help make PPE for healthcare workers.
They made an announcement on Wednesday via Twitter that extra garment supplies will be used to manufacture millions of masks, gowns, and scrubs for medical centers in California fighting the coronavirus.
An update on our #COVID19 response: Our teams are connecting some of the largest hospital networks in Calif. w/ our vendors to deliver PPE supplies while we pivot resources so factory partners can make masks, gowns & scrubs for healthcare workers on the front lines.
— Gap Inc. (@GapInc) March 25, 2020
Canada Goose is perhaps best known for making luxury parkas, but on Wednesday, they said they would be using the facilities in Winnipeg and Toronto to produce scrubs and gowns to help Canadian hospitals. The best news is, they are doing it free of charge.
Those companies are doing their part to help doctors and nurses that are on the front line fighting the coronavirus. There are other companies that are also helping, including designers based in NYC, Brandon Maxwell and Christian Siriano, who are crafting medical-grade masks to make up for a shortfall in New York State.