“It’s Morphin’ Time!” when Filipino nurse makes colourful PPEs for medics of COVID-19
Filipino OR nurse Adrian Pe, who has a penchant for fashion design, is making colourful personal protective suits (PPE) inspired by pop culture characters such as the Teletubbies and the Power Rangers for his fellow health workers in one of the hospitals in Iloilo, Panay Island, in the Philippines.
Pe chose to add a pop of colour to the usually drab PPE’s after receiving encouragement – and 100m of fabric – from a friend. “Maybe she believed that I can do this because I am a designer and I have access to tailoring shops,” said Pe.
He decided to forgo the neutral shades as these were limited after the closure of shops in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Pe instead used brightly-coloured nonwoven fabric intended for eco-bags, because the material is more durable and fluid-resistant.
While different seamstresses and tailors worked to sew the PPEs, Pe’s fellow nurses at the hospital also helped cut patterns – their team effort churns out at least 20 pieces daily. In addition, thanks to the kind donations of friends, organisations and groups, enough has been gathered to increase production. He shares his finished masterpieces on his Instagram (@senoritoaidz).
Despite the exhausting work, Pe is nevertheless hopeful, “I will bring this aspect as a Nurse Designer, to see situations with a silver lining. And if I can teach people to be grateful, we can have a world where COVID-19 cannot grow and prosper, and children will have smiles on their faces.”
