A fashion technician from Glasgow Caledonian University has switched from designing bespoke wedding dresses to mass-producing scrubs for the NHS to help in the fight against COVID-19.
Rinaldo Girasoli, who works part-time at GCU, is using his spare time to cut and sew up to 10 sets a week after he temporarily closed his bridal fashion business.
He is one of an army of designers who have signed up NHS Scotland – For the Love of Scrubs, a nationwide appeal set up to help address a shortage of medical scrubs.
Rinaldo said: “I really wanted to do something to help and thought I have the machinery and the resources in my studio not being used and I wanted to contribute to this great cause.
“I have family and friends who work in the NHS and I know what they go through day in and day out. It even made me question my own work at times, whether what I was doing was worthwhile or not.
“It is a good feeling to be involved in a project like this, that is giving something back. It’s a national effort and so many people are involved.”
Rinaldo has been working on his own in his design studio in Paisley, using fabric supplied by volunteers involved in the appeal.
NHS Scotland – For the Love of Scrubs was set up on Facebook by the owners of Mirka Bridal Couture following a similar appeal in other parts of the UK.
The appeal raised more than £10,000 in its first 48 hours and more than 1200 volunteers have offered their services.
A team of regional coordinators deliver material to machinists across the country in response to requests from hospitals, GP practices, and health centres.