Fashion Designer Anthony Thomas Galante & An Inside Look At His PPE Donation Initiative During A Pandemic
Brookdale University Hospital & Medical Center OR staff in scrub caps donated by Operation COVID-19 Garment Revival. Fabric donated by Mara Hoffman.
1. Tell us about yourself.
My name is Anthony Galante, and I’m a fashion designer based in Brooklyn.
2. Tell us about the efforts you’re making around COVID-19 PPE relief.
I founded Operation COVID-19 Garment Revival in late March with a simple mission: raise money to fund a local coalition of out-of-work sewers to make non-medical PPE. Then, donate the PPE to our front-liners health care professionals and non-profits, who put their lives on the line for us and so selflessly serve our vulnerable communities. We’ve made big strides since then. We’ve raised over $25,000 and have donated thousands of pieces of non-medical PPE including face masks, isolation gowns and scrub caps...and we aren't done yet!
3. At what point during the pandemic did you decide you wanted to get involved?
A little over 2 months ago, after sitting helpless and anxious on the couch, watching way too much news, I decided to leverage my fashion resources and reached out to everyone I knew. I didn’t have a team on payroll, but I did know a network of sewers. So, I started reaching out, and it came together pretty seamlessly. It was one of those “What if I” ..., and then I just ran with it.
4. Beyond making face masks, what else have you done to help during the COVID-19 pandemic?
My career in fashion is actually my second act. Prior to working as a designer I led fundraising and development initiatives in the nonprofit sector, so one of the things I’m most proud of is bringing some much needed attention (and money) to the heart and soul of our industry—our sewers—by raising funds to support them. Much of this workforce lost their jobs recently, and it was important to help provide an opportunity for them. Our coalition of sewers is a force. They’re all so talented and work in a range of areas, ranging from production lines to couture bridal. These individuals should be the ones on the front covers of Vogue and Harper's Bazaar, because our industry would be nothing without them. They deserve more recognition.
Face masks partnerships with Mara Hoffman and Supima. Isolation gown partnership with Magic Fitters.
5. Has anyone close to you been affected by the virus?
Yes and I’m seeing more and more friends and relatives post about people they know affected. Some have recovered but some have not and so I hope that people stay vigilant. Keep social distancing, keep wearing face masks when out in public, and keep it up, because second waves are coming.
6. Do you run Operation COVID-19 Garment Revival from your home?
Yes! My apartment, which has become HQ, is essentially a distribution center. All fabric and garment donations come here.
7. What does the average day of Operation COVID-19 Garment Revival look like?
It depends on the day. One day I’m cutting elastic and preparing kits for our sewers all day and the next I’m emailing potential donation recipients, finding out how we can best help them and the communities they serve and reserving quantities for them. Right now I’m really focused on reaching individuals who haven’t heard about our efforts, to see if our cause inspires them and if it does, getting them involved, spreading the word and donating.
8. Where did you find the resources to make the masks?
It was difficult at first. All of the fabric resources I would have normally reached out to were considered non-essential, so they were closed. I then started asking every stylist I knew (and many I didn’t) for garment donations for us to cut up and up-cycle into face masks. So many of them came through, and we had mountains of clothing to use. That’s where “Garment Revival” came from. We were fortunate enough to be introduced to Supima, who has consistently supplied us with cotton yardage to use. Brands such as Mara Hoffman and Rag & Bone also donated large quantities of fabric they weren’t using so we put it all to good use.
Talented sewers working for COVID-19 Garment Revival. “They are the heart and soul of our industry.” Noted by Anthony Thomas Galante.
9. How many people constitute the team? Who are the people involved?
We’re small but mighty, a phrase my sister-in-law coined referring to her daughters, but I feel like it’s applicable to us too. It’s really two people, including myself managing the operation. My “partner in health,” Cecilia Liou is the fairy godmother I didn’t know I needed and quickly realized I’d be lost without her. She has extensive experience in the industry and helps me steer the ship. We have our fabulous sewers, 12 of them and about 10 volunteers. We also have the generous in-kind donors who have either donated fabric yardage from mills they work with or clothing for us to upcycle. It does take a village, and we’re continually astounded by the generosity we’ve witnessed.
10. How many face masks have you donated to date?
To date, we've donated nearly 12,000 face masks, isolation gowns, and scrub caps.
11. Where are you sending your donations?
Everywhere! We've had requests from hospitals and organizations in Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas and also small rural communities in Illinois, Wisconsin, Tennessee and Virginia. We've had the biggest impact locally here in New York to hospitals like Brookdale, NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst and to New York City Administration for Children's Services (ACS). We donated over 2,000 face masks to ACS.
12. How many garments face masks do you usually make in a day?
If our entire team is activated, we can produce close to 1,000 face masks in one day.
13. What sort of donations do you need from people to continue being able to do what you’re doing for COVID-19?
Right now people can make the biggest impact by donating to our GoFundMe page www.gofundme.com/f/operation-covid19-garment-revival. It will help us keep the operation moving forward. Please note the donations are exclusively used to fund our sewers and to pay for any materials that haven't been donated, and for shipping. We've had an enormous amount of support from our friends and family and now we really need new support to help us reach and exceed our $30,000 goal.
Anthony Thomas Galante
14. What’s next for your efforts? Do you hope to expand?
Well, as it's Pride month we're directing our next batch of face masks to local LGBTQIA+ organizations like Hetrick-Martin Institute and The Okra Project. We're producing children's face masks too! Please be in touch if you know any organization in need of PPE. We do our best to fulfill every request. As for expanding, face masks aren't going anywhere anytime soon. We're in it for the long haul so please follow along.
15. Social Media Info: @anthonythomasgalante
Operation COVID-19 Garment Revival deliverables as of 6/25/20
Donated 2,264 face masks to New York City Administration for Children's Services (ACS)
Donated 1,004 face masks to local volunteers, family and friends in vulnerable communities
Donated 1,000 face masks to Brookdale Hospital and Medical Center
Donated 1,000 face masks to JCCA
Donated 1,000 face masks to Howard Brown Health, Chicago, IL
Donated 600 face masks to Precision LTC Pharmacy, Farmingdale, NY
Donated 550 scrub caps to Brookdale Hospital and Medical Center
Donated 500 face masks to SALUD Family Health Centers, Ft. Lupton, CO
Donated 300 face masks to The Village at Victory Lakes, Lindenhurst, IL
Donated 201 face masks to Lutheran Social Services / Muhlenberg Residence
Donated 200 face masks to Saint Joseph's Hospital, Syracuse, NY and St. Peter's Hospital, Albany, NY
Donated 200 face masks to University of Illinois Hospital, Chicago, IL
Donated 200 face masks to NAICA: Neighborhood Association of Inter-Cultural Affairs
Donated 200 face masks to CUCS: Center for Urban Community Services
Donated 200 face masks to MacArthur Medical Center, Irving, TX
Donated 150 isolation gowns to CUCS: Center for Urban Community Services
Donated 150 face masks to NewYork-Presbyterian
Donated 150 face masks to Lutheran Social Services / Community House
Donated 150 face masks to Grace Hospice, Edison, NJ
Donated 150 face masks to Zufall Health Center, NJ
Donated 120 face masks to South of Market Health Center
Donated 100 face masks to CASES, the Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services
Donated 100 face masks to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, Park Ridge, IL
Donated 100 face masks to Aurora Medical Center, Summit, WI
Donated 100 face masks to Harlem Hospital ER
Donated 100 face masks to Warren Barr Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire, IL
Donated 100 face masks to Give2SF COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund
Donated 100 face masks to Northport VA Medical Center, Northport, NY
Donated 100 face masks to Hopeful Beginnings, Palatine, IL
Donated 100 face masks to Monmouth Day Care Center, Red Bank, NJ
Donated 100 face masks to Stanford Children’s Hospital, Palo Alto, CA
Donated 100 scrub caps to NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst
Donated 100 scrub caps Zufall Health Center, NJ
Donated 100 face masks to GPW Health Center, Woodbridge, VA
Donated 56 face masks to Three Rivers Community Health, Lyles, TN
Donated 50 face masks to Shenandoah Memorial Hospital, Woodstock, VA
Donated 50 face masks to Shenandoah Community Health Clinic, Woodstock, VA
Anthony Thomas Galante
Article by Riley Jordan, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine
Style With A Cause highlights designers who support a cause such as sustainability, charities, and fair trade.
