Canadian outdoor brand Arc’teryx has collaborated with industry partners to prototype and develop an approved medical gown for frontline healthcare workers. The pattern, design and technical specifications of the medical gown can now be accessed by manufacturers worldwide through the B.C. Apparel and Gear website.

https://www.bcapparelandgear.com/covid19

Five hundred medical gowns were recently delivered to hospitals, and the brand plans to manufacture 30,000 medical gowns in the coming weeks. According to the company, the combined efforts of Arc’teryx and local manufacturing partners Mustang Survival and Boardroom Clothing will result in 90,000 medical gowns being delivered to community hospitals.

B.C. Apparel and Gear Association recently issued a call for medical gowns on behalf of the local healthcare community. Under the guidance of health authorities, a design was created, prototyped and tested. The brand’s sewers, engineers, sample and pattern makers then gathered at the ARC’One facility in New Westminster, B.C. to fulfill the first production order of 500 medical gowns.

“The world around us has shifted, and we knew that we needed to help protect our frontline healthcare workers,” said Shirley Chan, senior director of product commercialization and quality. “There wasn’t much we could do on the medical front lines, but as apparel designers and manufacturers, we could turn our expertise to support the medical community in this fight. By making the pattern open source, we hope others with manufacturing capabilities can bring more protective equipment to those communities in need.”

Arc’teryx said the team manufacturing the medical gowns are adhering to strict health and safety protocols, and before medical gowns are distributed to healthcare workers, they will be washed and sanitised by K-Bro Linen Systems, a laundry and linen service for hospitals and healthcare providers across Canada.

Share this story: