PETALING JAYA, April 30 — Fashion designer Melinda Looi’s fundraising campaign has successfully delivered a whopping 143,297 personal protective equipment (PPE) to frontliners up to today amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

The campaign christened PPE Fund Raising campaign is a collaboration between Malaysian Official Designer Association (Moda), e-commerce fashion site Fashion Valet and The Islamic Medical Association of Malaysia Response and Relief Team (Imaret).

"The PPEs are made by designers, tailors working from home and even workers in smaller factories in the Klang Valley,” Looi said.

As to why the collaboration was important, Looi said that with more workforce, the PPEs can be produced in a shorter period of time and will be distributed efficiently to health professionals around the country who urgently need them.

Funds received from public and corporations are then channelled to purchasing fabric and other raw materials to make shoe covers, boots cover, latex gloves, face masks and face shields and then distributed to these medical frontliners.

Looi said that another importance of the fundraising campaign was to support factories and their workers by distributing the fabric, raw materials so that they can make PPEs too.

"By giving these factory workers an income, it also means that they can stay afloat amid these trying times.”

When asked as to how Imaret got onboard the team, one of its founding members, Dr Husna Musa said that they were introduced to Moda through fashion entrepreneur, Datin Vivy Yusof.

Once the Moda members, tailors and factory workers have designed these PPEs, they will be handed over to Imaret’s volunteers to be distributed to government clinics and hospitals wherever needed.

Designer Celest Thoi and a seamstress designing a PPE gown. — Picture by Melinda Looi

"We conduct needs assessments first to see which clinics are in need of these PPEs.

"And we also work closely with the Health Ministry to ensure that the dissemination of the PPE items are in accordance with the needs of the particular clinics,” said Dr Husna.

Imaret volunteers distributing PPE gowns to health clinics, hospitals. — Picture courtesy of Dr Husna Musa

She also said that Imaret has its own team of medical frontliners that were operating from other states who were facilitating the distribution of the protective gears to hospitals and clinics that needed them urgently.

"We have even managed to distribute PPE to frontliners in the districts of Sabah and Sarawak with the help of Pos Malaysia.”

Those interested to support this fundraising campaign can donate directly to Moda (Maybank Account No:514084339201) Or surf over to Moda’s website to find out more.