Allied Feather shifts to making facemasks

18 May '20

5 min read

Pic: Shutterstock

Los Angeles-based Allied Feather & Down, the down supplier and maker of bedding, has shifted to making facemasks amidst shortage of PPE. The company is also now selling masks through to hospitality, retailers and even direct to consumer, as well as donating to those who cannot afford. The company is now producing approximately 10,000 masks per day.

When Steve Uretsky, founder and CEO of Los Angeles-based Allied Feather & Down, first directed his company to switch bedding production over to facemasks, he had no idea where the masks would go or what the need was. But he knew it made sense, and that it would keep his employees working in a hard-hit market.

A family owned and run company for more than three decades, Allied Feather + Down pivoted to keep employees working and provide much needed PPE not only to its own neighbours most in need through LA-based homeless shelter Union Rescue Mission (URM), but to NYFD, Cedars Sinai, and other front line workers around the country.

“As a global company with down processing and bedding facilities in China, we saw just how significant of an impact the virus was going to have on the economy and how people function in their daily lives,” said Uretsky. “Here in the states, we figured that masks would become a part of our everyday life for a while. We started to think very hard about how we could help and fortunately, we had the resources.”

Allied Feather + Down quickly pivoted as Uretsky directed the 80,000 square foot bedding division to switch a large portion of its production over to facemasks, using the tightly woven, allergen-barrier cotton usually reserved for fine pillows and comforters to make breathable, washable face masks.

The retooling of the bedding facility was accomplished in just a matter of days, and they’ve even expanded capacity: Allied now employs more people than it did before the pandemic, and is producing approximately 10,000 masks per day.

“When the US started being hit by this virus and the response was to shut down businesses, everyone went into reactive mode. That’s understandable. But we quickly realised that as a global brand doing business locally, we could pivot and do things to try and make a difference,” explained Uretsky. “By shifting as much of our bedding production as possible to making face masks per the recommendation of the CDC, we’re able to keep people working here in LA, while providing much needed PPE for front lines workers, those in essential positions who are unable to stay home, and look closely at where we could additionally help within our community.”

Allied quickly got the products up for sale on its Home Bedding website and began donating masks and other bedding to homeless shelters and critical workers citiwide. That effort uncovered a need that no one else was talking about — how to protect those who can’t protect themselves by following CDC guidelines.

People experiencing homelessness are most susceptible to complications or death as a result of this disease because they are the least able to follow CDC guidelines to prevent the spread of the infection. According to research, an unsheltered individual infected by the novel coronavirus would be twice as likely to be hospitalised, up to four times as likely to require critical care, and two to three times as likely to die than the general population. (UCLA Study)

Based on the recommendation of homeless advocacy group HousingFirst Lab, Allied connected with URM on Skid Row, which is the largest homeless shelter in the city with a capacity greater than all other shelters combined. URM was recently in the news as the pandemic hit the shelter itself. The fears of a pandemic infecting America’s largest unsheltered community was realised with the death of a resident and one of URM’s employees. Allied is now providing enough masks for URM’s entire staff and residents at its downtown location.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates that almost 700,000 people can experience homelessness on any given night in the US. Of those, 58 per cent are living in shelters and transitional housing, while another 42 per cent are unsheltered. But other estimates show closer to 2 million people homeless in the US.

“Established 1891, and the oldest and largest rescue mission in Los Angeles, URM could not have saved the lives of so many, without very generous partners like Allied Feather & Down,” said Andy Bales, president and CEO of Union Rescue Mission. “We have never turned away a woman, child or family from our doors and, due to the extra challenges presented by the pandemic, these masks will help ensure we can continue to provide safety and shelter to this vulnerable community and our neighbours.”

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SV)

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