Sabina Motasem
Wedding dress designer turned mask-maker
Wedding dress designer Sabina Motasem, from north London, found demand for her haute couture gowns disappeared overnight, as brides were forced to postpone their weddings.
However, she soon noticed the Scrub Hub, where people were making scrubs for NHS workers. “I wanted to do something to help, as did many of our seamstresses and pattern cutters,” says Motasem. “It was great to be able to use our skills in a different way to help. It’s a bit different sewing a couture, several-£1,000 wedding dress, compared to making hundreds of scrubs from polycotton.”
After her father was rushed into hospital with Covid-19 weeks after a heart operation, Motasem focused her efforts and created the Islington hub. “It spurred me on to make as many scrubs and masks as I could.”
While she had plenty of volunteers, the difficulty was sourcing the fabric. “It was really critical about two months ago, but a lot of the NHS suppliers have opened up more now,” Motasem says.
In total, her team made 1,386 scrubs and 2,000 masks. These she delivered to more than 20 hospitals, medical health centres and care homes in Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust.
Her business began 13 years ago when a friend was in search of a dress that was “timeless, simple and elegant”, and Motasem now makes up to 90 bridal gowns a year.
Her focus is now on the range which will have zero waste: they are converting all the fabric scraps into craft kits for children and adults to make their own masks, or for others in need.
“Doing the scrubs has completely changed my values,” she adds. “Although the scrub project has now ended, I want to continue helping the community.”