Designer Christian Siriano and his team are sewing face masks for medical workers and others on the front lines of the battle against COVID-19 after the Project Runway alum made a public offer via Instagram and Twitter. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo took Siriano up on his offer and asked who else was willing to jump in to help quell the shortage of essential medical supplies.
Siriano tweeted the offer to Cuomo on Friday.
The offer came as Cuomo put out a call for protective gear due to a severe shortage of in the face of the pandemic.
Following Siriano's offer, Cuomo tweeted a thank-you and asked the designer to DM his team for details. Before long, Siriano had tweeted a possible prototype of a face mask.
The gear, known as N95 face masks, are intended to protect the wearer from airborne particles and liquid, according to ABC News.
The United States currently has approximately 13 million N95 masks in stock, but the federal government has determined that the country may need up to a billion over the next six months, ABC Newsreports.
Siriano's offer to do his part during the crisis inspired others to offer their services.