Maker City KC
Be safe and help others be safe too with these CDC masks from sewKC
Goods for good. It’s a phrase I first heard years ago in a conversation about Toms shoes. When you buy a pair of Toms shoes they donate a pair of shoes to a child in need thanks to your purchase. In these unprecedented times, the Kansas City based sewKC is taking that phrase to another level.
Having been making cool tees, hats and apparel since 2013, sewKC recently added face masks to their product line and to be specific, CDC approved washable facial masks. Using the pattern provided by the CDC to make masks to help keep you safe, to help everyone flatten the curve and to beat Covid-19, sewKC is donating masks to hospitals right here in Kansas City for masks sold to the consuming public.
I ordered four masks on their website and went to pick them up on Sunday afternoon at sewKC headquarters, located at Collective+Ex in The Crossroads Arts District. Collective+Ex is a maker space and storefront that is “sharing artistic breakthroughs.”’ They also share a space with the recently opened Crossroads location of Thou Mayest. The location is cleverly titled, Thee Outpost so while you grab your masks you can also order a cup of coffee, curbside to go!
While I was there, I ran into sewKC owner Michelle Dawbarn. At a safe “social distancing” space I asked her about the masks. “We’re working 12 hours a day, making masks as fast as we can. We’re following the CDC pattern and we’re trying to help as many people as possible.”
I asked about her staff and this is where she has taken the terms “goods for good” to another level. Michelle said, “We needed more people so we hired 12 of our friends that just lost their jobs!”
Several local hospitals have heard what sewKC is doing and are reaching out to them for masks; with every mask you purchase you’re helping a medical professional on the front lines be safer in an incredibly dangerous work environment.
The masks are $15, and in addition to being safe and practical, they’re quite stylish. I picked up the four she still had in stock as the work day began on Sunday. One of the four I bought was an animal print, and I couldn’t help but think it was a coincidental nod to Tiger King, the insane Netflix docu-series that I just binge watched - if you’re looking for some binge-able programming, it’s for you.
Like sewKC, there are many Kansas City makers doing great things to help fight Covid-19 and prevent its spread. Have a look at this article by Katie Mabry van Dieren, curator of The Strawberry Swing Indie Craft Fair and learn about other small businesses that are lending a hand during these unprecedented times.