South Korean SwatchOn partners with US manufacturers of medical isolation gowns

New York – The South Korean fashion technology startup and wholesale fashion fabric supplier SwatchOn has partnered with some of the main apparel manufacturers in the U.S. to create isolation gowns for doctors and nurses.

In early March, when the coronavirus pandemic reached global magnitude, SwatchOn, a partner of the Council of Fashion Designers of America's (CFDA) Supply Chain Collective, reached out to the organisation. CFDA introduced them to Fashion for the Front Lines, a consortium of the retail industry's most significant designers, retailers, manufacturers and distributors joining forces to facilitate the production and distribution of PPE.

According to the startup, they have been able to source production of several million yards of grey goods for isolation gown material, ultimately the first wave of new order PPE in the United States.

"We were motivated by a moral mission to help in an unprecedented time," explained Yonmi Jung, SwatchOn CEO in a press release. "SwatchOn found itself in a highly unique position -- we are closely connected to all the mills in South Korea, and were able to source sufficient greige for isolation gowns for doctors and nurses in the US. There was no hesitation, and we were honored to deliver on this noble task."

"The SwatchOn fabric used for isolation gowns resulted in an extraordinary and rapid solution to pressing PPE problems. It was through the facilitation of the CFDA that Fashion for the Front Lines was able to work with SwatchOn, who was incredibly responsive with highly researched, superior fabric options, and delivered on a timeline we did not think possible," said Kay Unger, Co-Chair of Fashion for the Front Lines.