MASKED CRUSADERS: As the French government detailed on Monday how it plans to ramp up mask production in preparation for lifting coronavirus restrictions, sustainable initiative Paris Good Fashion launched a call for volunteers to donate fabric and sew masks.
Swedish fast-fashion group Hennes & Mauritz AB is the first major industry player to provide fabric supplies for the “Masque Solidaire” project, launched by writer Alexandre Jardin, with the aim of providing free fabric masks to the people who need them the most.
French classifieds web site Leboncoin is relaying a call for individual fabric donations, while retailers Monoprix, Intermarché and Netto have volunteered to distribute the masks to people who register on the masquesolidaire.fr site, with the poorest and most at-risk taking priority.
Department store chain Galeries Lafayette, which is expected to reopen its stores when the French lockdown is lifted on May 11, has also pledged to distribute masks.
Paris Good Fashion is asking volunteer seamstresses to produce masks according to the reference document developed by the AFNOR Group, which designs and deploys solutions based on voluntary standards around the world. Tutorials and patterns are available on the AFNOR web site.
The “Masque Solidaire” initiative, which is endorsed by the French government, aims to
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