PETALING JAYA, March 30 — Malaysian designer Datuk Radzuan Radziwill has swapped making haute couture for sewing personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontliners during the Covid-19 pandemic.

On the 12th day of the movement control order (MCO), Radzuan uploaded an Instagram post explaining his new project called, "Jom Menjahit Sambil Beramal di Rumah”, which encourages skilled seamstresses to join him in making PPE for Malaysian healthcare workers.

Radzuan told Berita Harian that he felt compelled to help after reading about shortages of PPE items at several hospitals in the country, which forced some nurses and doctors to use cling wrap and plastic bags in a bid to protect themselves from Covid-19.

He then sought the help of a doctor friend who works at Serdang Hospital to get information on the measurements and material needed to make PPE clothing.

"Right now, we’ve finished more than 200 sets and I’m aiming to make 1,000 to 2,000 protective robes, hats, and head covers for the frontliners who need it.

"I hope other fashion designers and anyone else can help sew the PPE clothing because I’ve been told that they need 400 disposable sets each day at Serdang Hospital and Sungai Buloh Hospital,” Radzuan said.

The Perak-born designer, who has designed garments worn by leaders from the Asia-Pacific region, said he can produce up to 50 sets of PPE clothing per day, including robes, head covers, shoe covers, and boot protectors.

He called on Malaysians who are skilled at sewing to join his project and reach out to him so he can provide the fabric and samples for them to use.

The finished PPE items will then be delivered back to Radzuan so he can check them for quality control before they get sent off to frontliners at the hospitals.

"If more designers and tailors can participate in this project, I’m confident that more people can pitch in to help our frontliners and ease their burdens in finding the PPE they need.

"The design is simple and uncomplicated and you just need to ensure that the material is not easily torn.

"If more people can contribute their skills and knowledge, we can help more hospitals especially since there are still two weeks left of the MCO.”