Local Detroit heroes are answering the call to fight COVID-19. Karen Buscemi, owner of Detroit Sewn; Fly Koolade, founder of Accent Your Vibe Premium Lifestyle Apparel; and Bravo Events founder John Bravo are among the Detroit business owners equipping essential workers and citizens with much-needed facial masks, gloves and other personal protective equipment (PPE). These entrepreneurs are just a small fraction of the collaborative efforts sweeping the city in an attempt to protect Detroiters from the infectious virus claiming lives and livelihoods across Michigan.
The Pontiac, Michigan-based business Detroit Sewn can barely keep up with the mounting requests for PPE. The sewing house revamped its garment production operations to concentrate solely on fulfilling the increasing demand for masks. What began as one phone order quickly escalated to hundreds as orders from around the country poured in. Once news of the growing pandemic heightened, Detroit Sewn’s staff quickly sprang into action, collaborating with the Glamorous Moms Foundation to set up a volunteer mask donation site that accepts and distributes homemade masks to those in need. Thanks to the assistance of five Michigan-based factories, Detroit Sewn can roll out over 300K masks. The call to action for supplying more PPE doesn’t just stop with making masks, however.
“We have also created isolation gowns. [They are] made with a specific barrier type of fabric approved by the FDA in accordance with CDC guidelines,” Buscemi revealed. “Although our masks are 100 percent cotton and washable, the fabric for isolation gowns has to be state-certified.”
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