The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Dress designer swaps out brides to help NHS workers scrub up nice
Fife wedding gown maker co-ordinates national effort to kit out frontline staff
It became very, very big very quickly, so we’ve joined forces with two other women and more than 500 people have offered to help.
MIRKA JANKOWSKA
A couture 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 150 professional seamstresses, 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 they are already fulfilling orders from four Scottish hospitals – Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, the Western General and Queen Elizabeth University hospitals 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 looking for something to work on after a number of brides were forced to postpone their weddings as a result of the government’s 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 and more than 500 people have offered to help.”
Mirka has drawn up patterns to work from and is hoping to raise £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 thought maybe 15 seamstresses would help but so many people want to be involved.
“My mum will be working from her shop, Mirka Bridal Couture, on Commercial Street, and others will be in their own homes or studios .
“It’s all properly co-ordinated so hospitals aren’t overwhelmed by random drop-offs.”