A novel Coronavirus assignment: Seamstresses sew sustainability into safety

During the lockdown, two seamstresses, one at Citadines and the other at Somerset, had a briefing that was out of ordinary — they had to sew sustainability into safety.

It went like this: They had to upcycle the fabric at their disposal morphing them into two-ply masks as well as sanitiser-holding pouches. These safety aids would be distributed to the staff at these facilities; and on World Environment Day, to the guests.

“At both these facilities, the in-house housekeeping team, which includes a seamstress, drove the initiative. For the making of the masks, they upcycled old cotton bedsheets by having them sterilised at the in-house laundry unit. The cotton fabric thus readied was stitched into masks by the seamstresses at their respective tailoring unit,” explains Supriya Malhotra, Area General Manager — Chennai, The Ascott, which runs the aparthotels Citadines on Old Mahabalipuram Road and Somerset at MRC Nagar.

“The two-ply cotton masks are washable and reusable and we have made some available at the front desk so that anyone at these facilities finding themselves short of a mask can take one.”

The sanitiser-holding pouches, again made of upcycled fabric, come paired to key holders that enable them to be attached to bags. “Besides the guest services team recycled old magnets into fridge magnets, nicely-coloured and with a striking message about staying home,” Supriya adds. “These initiatives are part of a conscious effort not to waste anything, but upcycle things as much as possible.”