11th July 2020
The multi-award-winning sustainable bridal designer, Sanyukta Shrestha has adapted her usual production of luxury ethical gowns to help to protect the homeless in the UK by making eco-friendly reusable masks and donating them through Crisis.
After the Government’s CDC recommendations for the UK to force masks in public to help slow the spread of the coronavirus, the designer’s team is making hundreds of masks for the homeless and reaching out to them via Crisis. Crisis is a charity that was formed in 1967, as an urgent response to the growing homelessness crisis and has since helped thousands of people out of homelessness, providing them with a range of support, from supplies to mental health and legal services.
“In order to help homeless people in the UK we reached out to as many charities as we could find working for the homeless. We were then contacted by Crisis, a non-profit charity which works directly with homeless people in the UK. We were glad to reach out to homeless people who are in desperate need of protection by providing them with the reusable handmade masks that we lovingly made.”
During the past few months, the Nepalese born designer and her team have been devoting their lockdown time to making and donating thousands of masks, plus PPE for the NHS and key workers in the UK, while also donating handmade masks and food supplies to Ama ko Ghar (a shelter for the homeless in Nepal). The brand have always believed in the transforming power of kindness, so the designer’s team, the youngest being the designer's 6-year-old daughter, Ameya, to the 65-year-old head-fitter, Gina, have together been making masks with compassion, commitment and solidarity.
Crisis estimates that according to recent research conducted by Heriot-Watt University, there are roughly 12,300 rough sleepers in the UK and 12,000 people sleeping in sheds, bins, cars, tents and night busses. People experiencing homelessness, particularly those who are rough sleeping, are most exposed to the risks of the virus, not only because they do not have a safe home to self-isolate or follow sanitation guidance in, but because they are three times more likely to experience a chronic health problem, including respiratory conditions.
“We have received the masks and they look great so thank you very much. With the lockdown measures being relaxed our Skylight building is becoming a lot busier with homeless members who will benefit from the masks, so the timing of the delivery is perfect.” - Crisis, UK
As a sustainable brand, the designer encourages people to opt for reusable masks to reduce the burden to earth as plastic pollution is on a high rise. "The disposable non-surgical masks should be used for medical purposes as hospitals would need them constantly especially during the Pandemic. Instead of donating single-use disposable plastic masks, we are making and donating handmade masks that are durable, washable, reusable so it will last longer and be kind to the planet. In this pandemic, we should not only take care of each other but our planet as well", the designer concludes.
Type in your search terms and click ENTER / RETURN to search our website.
