As 2020 began, Ferrara Manufacturing was gearing up for a busy year in fashion. Located in New York City’s historic Fashion District, Ferrara Manufacturing has been producing Olympic uniforms for Team USA, runway garments and formal suiting for several major luxury brands since 1987. But in March of 2020, when New York was in need of PPE for frontline workers battling COVID-19, Ferrara Manufacturing shifted their garment production from high-end fashion to isolation gowns for frontline workers.
"We have sons and daughters [working] on the front line, so we all feel a sense of duty and passion to help the people within our community”
Joseph Ferrara, founder of Ferrara Manufacturing
So as the need for PPE in New York grew, Ferrara Manufacturing began producing Tyvek® Level 1 and Tyvek® Level 3 isolation gowns to supply hospitals throughout New York City and beyond with the PPE they needed during this challenging time.
When Ferrara Manufacturing learned about the DuPont #TyvekTogether initiative, they immediately began producing isolation gowns with Tyvek® 1222A fabric, designed specifically by DuPont for COVID-19 pandemic response. To date, Ferrara Manufacturing has delivered over 400,000 Tyvek® isolation gowns to those that need them most.
As a result of their ability to help meet the demands for PPE during COVID-19, Ferrara Manufacturing has launched Ferrara Supply, a new division of their operation dedicated to producing protective garments that focus on safety, functionality and fit.
“After spending over three decades sourcing fabrics from the top textile mills in the world, our task to find the perfect material for PPE was met with highly specific criteria from our product development team. We needed to use a fabric that was protective, yet lightweight and comfortable for the wearer. The quality and comfort of Tyvek® was the highest rated during our sampling and development process. Our customers continue to tell us how much they appreciate all of our DuPont™ Tyvek® products’ build quality,” said Gabrielle Ferrara, COO at Ferrara Manufacturing.
Combining century-old tailoring techniques to provide proper range of motion and movement, Ferrara Supply has reimagined styles of PPE with wearer comfort at the forefront and they are on track to deliver nearly 3 million medical isolation gowns, masks, booties and surgical caps to hospitals across the US by the end of 2020.
“We’re proud to be working with Ferrara Manufacturing as they continue to help make more PPE available to those who depend on it. Their ability to transition from fashion apparel to US-manufactured PPE for the COVID-19 response has greatly helped keep our frontline workers protected.”
David Domnisch, Global Business Leader, DuPont Personal Protection
Dedicated to safety, functionality, and fit.
To meet the growing need for PPE in the fight against COVID-19, we’re increasing capacity of Tyvek® protective fabric and working with our partners to get it to the front lines quickly.
As COVID-19 continues to spread across the world, we're working around the clock to deliver solutions that help with prevention and control, while keeping our employees safe.
Tyvek® for PPE delivers comfortable and durable protective garments that protect against a wide range of chemical threats and hazards.