Immerse

April 28, 2020

Art Makers Giving Back, Edition #2: How Artists, Art Studios, and Organizations are Pivoting Resources to Give Back

Welcome to the second edition of Art Makers Giving Back. Today we shine our light on FABRIC in Tempe.

FABRIC staff sewing PPE materials. Photo provided by FABRIC.

You may know FABRIC if you are involved in the Phoenix-area fashion scene, or if you follow public art you might recall it as the site of the temporary artwork Stitch by Saskia Jorda from IN FLUX Cycle 7. FABRIC is a fashion incubator made possible by a partnership between multiple fashion businesses and the nonprofit AZ Apparel Foundation, whose mission is “to provide Arizona’s emerging designers and brands with innovative, small-batch manufacturing and strategic business resources so they can build sustainable fashion businesses locally.”

Like so many others in the creative field, FABRIC has pivoted its resources to begin filling the need for PPE in the Valley. Last month they started a GoFundMe campaign to purchase more equipment to help match the demand. As of April 23, they met their goal! FABRIC added a total of 34 sewing machines, 18 sewing technicians, and an automatic cutter. It also received FDA certification and will be hiring and training an additional 18 sewing technicians to produce about 2,000 reusable isolation gowns per eight-hour shift.

FABRIC staff sewing PPE materials. Photo provided by FABRIC.

In a time where jobs and medical protective gear is scarce, FABRIC is coming together to create both! Thank you to Angela Johnson, Sherri Barry, and the entire FABRIC team for all your hard work to make our corner of the world a little bit safer against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Learn more about FABRIC, their story, and how you can help at https://www.fabrictempe.com/ppeefforts.

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