Swapping Luxury Fabrics for Polycotton

Swapping Luxury Fabrics for Polycotton

Interview by Juliet Herd

The fashion house Isabell Kristensen Couture is synonymous with red carpet, high octane glamour; its extravagant gowns worn by the likes of Nicole Kidman, Paris Hilton, Kate Winslet and Katy Perry. It’s also a family business with the Danish-born founder and chief creative director Isabell heading up the brand’s Monaco branch, while her son Martin, 28, is executive creative director based in London, where its Beauchamp Place boutique has been an elegant fixture since 1993.

However, since the beginning of April, this well-established label has been busy deploying the skills of its in-house designers and seamstresses to make muchneeded scrubs for NHS trusts around the country. It joins the likes of Burberry and Barbour, along with many other UK designers, who have responded to the call for help during the coronavirus crisis. To date, Isabell Kristensen has produced nearly 3000 scrubs and aims to achieve a target of between 500-700 per week as an increasing number of volunteers come on board – partly thanks to a host of celebrity fans of the label posting pictures and videos on social media.

Here, MilliOnAir talks to Martin Kristensen - whose training as a British Army reservist has come in handy as he tackles daily logistical challenges - about what inspired him to swap luxury fabrics for polycotton and set up the non-profit organisation Scrubs4Heroes.

Firstly, Martin, how did you get into design?

After graduating from Bristol University, I planned to go straight from the University Royal Navy Unit, where I was training to be an officer, into the Royal Marines. With the number of Royal Marines in Afghanistan at the time my mother, Isabell, insisted I try the family business ahead of joining. I swore I would only spend a maximum of three months in the business, but ultimately fell in love with it. I think it was the design side that snared my heart; it is unlike anything else. When I started I was brought in to work on our international events with fashion shows as far as Jamaica to keep me busy. I then trained in procurement and atelier management, and from there, my interest in design grew organically and passionately.

Where did you grow up?

I was born in London, moved to Monaco when I was about nine or ten and then back to Monaco and the UK after a year in Denmark.

How long have you been involved with the family company? Are your three sisters involved as well?

Since birth! Amazingly, I was born the day of Isabell’s first independent fashion show at the Churchill Hotel in Marylebone. Incredibly, my mother still managed to find the strength to leave the Lindo Wing at St Mary’s Hospital Paddington to step out on stage after the show and take a bow. She has always insisted this was a sign that my destiny was intertwined with design. My sisters have modelled for the business in the past; naturally they’re far more beautiful and capable than myself! I have always been terribly camera shy.

Are you still producing couture orders at this time?

We have suffered massively. Naturally, we cater for events, whether great national ones like Royal Ascot or private family occasions like weddings - all have been cancelled. While there are still orders in the pipeline, these garments cannot be processed during a time of national crisis when the need is far greater for medical wear. Furthermore, couture is often hand-worked, involving close intimate working between the designers and the master-craftspeople who tailor, construct and finish the garments to perfection. Working at such proximity is not possible under the present circumstances.

How did the idea for Scrubs4Heroes come about?

Scrubs4Heroes was born out of recognition of the extremely challenging situation facing our frontline staff and a desire to help in any way we could. For those of us in the leisure and luxury sectors, we are usually quite a comfortable distance from the trauma of an ER ward or people in pain. It’s quite impossible to imagine what our health workers are faced with amid the COVID-19 crisis. It’s not every day in fashion that we are able to be a part of helping to safeguard peoples’ lives, and this initiative allows us to contribute to that effort and support our heroes with garments to keep them safe and effective. I will always remember the amazing care I received after my hand was broken in a cycling accident, fearing for my future in design. I could not be more grateful for the excellent care I received at Chelsea & Westminster Hospital. So, I decided to call them to offer support with scrubs and the response was clear. With more requests pushing us to capacity, I then decided volunteers were needed to help us meet demand and Scrubs4Heroes was born. I am proud to say we now have almost 200 volunteers and are burning through about 3000metres of fabric per week to meet orders. Isabell is, of course, very interested in the initiative and is involved as much as she can be, considering her responsibilities in Monaco.

What types of scrubs are you making?

We are making scrubs worn by doctors, nurses, anaesthesiologists, midwives and all support staff. The greatest demand has been for scrubs as so many are disposed of or backed up in laundry to prevent COVID contamination. We’ve received urgent orders from a range of NHS health services, from GP Surgeries to mental health units, even forensics departments, which were facing severe shortages. Presently, Scrubs4Heroes is serving 15 different major NHS Hospital trusts as well as a further six NHS GP surgeries. We’re also branching into the protective isolation gowns but are being careful to ensure we only do so to the correct standards.

You also deliver the kit – what area do you cover?

The geographical area is quite literally now the length and breadth of the UK, from Portsmouth to Sterling, with orders from Wales to Norfolk. We have about nine vehicles involved so far with a view to growing that number now that we have offers from logistics and delivery firms to cover a certain portion of deliveries outside London.

Is there a standard design?

We only follow the specific NHS-approved instructions and patterns. This is not about design; it’s a needs-focused exercise.

Can you explain the importance of the fabric and how difficult it is to source?

The right fabrics are important as they must be able to withstand strong temperature washing to disinfect, be fairly tarnish and tear resistant and breathable. Again, we followed exactly what the NHS requested, which was a blend of polycotton that we’ve had to import due to shortages. Sourcing was a challenge and remains difficult - some weeks we get 3800metres of fabric, others we can only source about 2500metres, which slows production.

What is the significance of the colours blue and green for surgeons?

In design we all understand the importance of colour, though in medicine this is arguably even more so. Interestingly, the University of California discovered that looking at green or blue helps keep one’s eyes more sensitive to variations in red. So, if you are a terribly busy doctor, nurse or surgeon looking at blood frequently, operating or trying to detect an infection typically indicated by levels of redness, blue or green is invaluable to refresh colour perception.

How has your team found making the transition from couture to basic but critical life-saving PPE?

Going from spending three months on a single couture piece to making 3000 garments in a single month is a considerable change. The need for speed is a challenge, especially when combined with a real-world pressure of shortages in our wards and hospitals. The Kristensen team and our volunteers have been amazing and I cannot express enough my awe and respect for their work ethic and resolve.

What is morale like – has this activity proved invaluable for team spirit?

Without a shadow of a doubt. Some of our team have pre-existing conditions and are considered high-risk yet still insisted on working from home. I think the team spirit has merged with the national spirit; the communal sense of purpose and goodwill is palpable.

Did you ever expect Scrubs4Heroes to become so big?

Never. I thought we would only involve a few people, maybe 30. We have had many hundreds of requests to help and are so grateful to those reaching out but as we require a certain skill set of sewing ability, this limits the number [of volunteers] we can commit to. We recently received cries for help from as far as Malaysia and the Democratic Republic of Congo - we had no idea the campaign had reached people all over the world! Just this weekend I met with prison officials and arranged materials for them get inmates involved; they’re very keen to lend a hand and support Scrubs4Heroes in helping frontline staff. How often does a couture house couple with a correctional facility?!

What sort of response have you had from people wanting to volunteer?

We’ve had such an inspiring response. It’s hard to count total numbers but we’re aware of almost 700 people who have expressed interest in volunteering. Sadly, due to time and logistical pressures, they do have to be capable with a sewing machine and ideally, an over-locker machine, pinking shears or zigzag stitching, so that has cut the number to 200. They’re either professional volunteers such as costume department seamstresses, alterations services personnel, freelance fashion machinists and pattern cutters or hobby craftspeople who are avid sewing enthusiasts and fashion students who really know their stuff! I cannot stress the urgency enough, which is why volunteers need to be able to make ten sets every five to six days as that allows for a rate of production to support demand. In terms of the scrub sets, these include a trouser and shirt combination, so each set is two items.

Celebrities like Jess Wright, Pixie Lott and Georgia Toffolo have been promoting Scrubs4Heroes – what has such high-profile support meant to you?

We’ve been humbled and fortunate to design for some of Britain’s most talented and beautiful women, whether for performing on live television for The Voice or Pride of Britain Awards, red carpet appearances like the NTAs, parties at Blenheim Palace or photoshoots. We have dressed all of the above and could not be more grateful to the talent who have made such a valuable contribution through their profiles to raise awareness and support for the initiative. Stars like Amy Jackson, who has almost nine million followers on Instagram; philanthropy champion Carol Vorderman; news professional Charlotte Hawkins, and [Coronation Street actress] Helen Flanagan, who connected us with a team of nurses in Scotland, have all been amazing and we could never have achieved this level of reach or awareness without their support. It also conveys the sense of community and care for one another at this difficult time.

Why did you decide to self-fund the project?

We do ask for donations but donations of time and labour, which help keep costs from spiralling. Much of the public are going through hard times financially, losing their jobs or [facing] the pressures of irregular work. This, combined with the expressed urgency [in demand] from hospitals made it clear we would lose valuable time waiting to raise funds before acting and demanded we sponsor/self-fund the effort with fabric, logistics and coordination. We would have been far less effective had we waited. That being said, as demand has grown, we do intend to raise [funds] as soon as possible but hope other companies will join the effort to support the various costs, whether shipping, fuelling, materials etc.

What’s been the response from the NHS trusts? They are very glad to have the support. It is just one small way to show how much we care about them and remain exceedingly grateful.”

What does it mean to you to be able to help in this way? Is this a full-time job for you at the moment?

One hundred percent. I currently have two directorships: Scrubs4Heroes and House of Kristensen. It is demanding and exhausting; my family are worried I am burning myself out a bit but that is laughable when one considers the hours of those frontline staff. Nothing I do could compare to their Herculean efforts. This is just a small effort to support them; we are a small company with a small team but the will is there and each time we make a delivery to a hospital it makes a difference, however small. I have always admired those who dedicate their life to service; the rest of us benefit from their hard work every day we spend safely living our lives in their care, often without thanks. I would love to see this initiative grow and be able to support people internationally, who maybe aren’t as fortunate as we are to have an NHS. With subsequent COVID 2nd and 3rd peak waves being a very real possibility, we have to remain vigilant and prepared to provide support to those who need it most.

To volunteer, email: volunteer@scrubs4heroes.org help@scrubs4heroes.org

@scrubs4heroes