A wedding dress designer from Fife has switched to making scrubs for hard-pressed NHS workers across Scotland.
Mirka Jankowska has put the silk and lace she normally uses on her bespoke bridal gowns to one side while she concentrates on ensuring nurses, doctors and other frontline health staff are properly kitted out.
Her Kirkcaldy shop is now the epicentre of a national effort involving hundreds of professional seamstresses and enthusiastic amateurs, including 16 members of Scottish Opera’s wardrobe department.
Mirka and daughter Maja launched a website, For The Love of Scrubs, to co-ordinate the work and the group is already fulfilling orders from four Scottish hospitals – Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, the Western General and Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow and Crosshouse in Ayrshire.
Other NHS areas have said they will be in touch if they need anything.
The group has also started an online fundraising page to help pay for the fabric.
Maja said her mother had been inundated with offers of help after launching the project when a number of brides postponed their weddings as a result of the government’s coronavirus lockdown measures.
“The shop is shut just now and a lot of dresses have been moved to later in the year,” said Maja.
“I asked a few Facebook groups if there was anything a seamstress could do and I was pointed towards a group in England set up by a nurse.
“I spoke to her and she said there was a shortage of scrubs in Scotland too so we have set up a Scottish version.
“It became very, very big very quickly so we’ve joined forces with two other women, who are now co-ordinators for their areas, and more than 500 people have offered to help.”
Mirka has drawn up patterns to work from and has so far raised more than £5,000 to buy fabric.
Volunteers have offered to distribute the fabrics among the seamstresses and others will deliver to hospital linen stores when requested.
“The response to this has been absolutely amazing,” said Maja.
“We have a lot more seamstresses than we have fabric at the moment but the amount being donated is growing by the minute.
“My mum will be working from her shop in Commercial Street and others will be in their own homes or studios – most are shut just now because of the virus.
“It’s not just about her efforts. It’s about everyone coming together to do this.
“It’s all properly co-ordinated so hospitals aren’t overwhelmed by random drop-offs.”
