Usually in April at Harcum College, Fashion Design students are busy sewing entire clothing lines, working late nights to finish their collections for the upcoming Annual Fashion Show.

This year, however, two students have taken their expert design and sewing skills in another direction. They are making masks for hospital workers.

Fashion Design majors Jaelyn Ruiz and Deja Mayberry are making protective masks for hospitals in Philadelphia, Allentown, Easton, and Bethlehem. Each student – Ruiz is a first-year designer and Mayberry is a second-year designer – has approached the task with a different eye, and the result has been two styles of protective masks.

A woman from Ruiz’s church donated all the materials for her masks. She said it takes five to seven minutes to make each mask, and she has made more than 20 so far.

The students are happy to be working and supporting those in need during the pandemic. They feel grateful they can contribute in a positive way during the crisis.

Fashion Design students take, at minimum, six design and apparel construction courses to complete their Associate of Arts in Fashion Design at Harcum. The work on their clothing lines continues remotely in order to complete the spring semester, but the capstone showcase for Harcum Fashion students, the actual in-person Fashion Show, has been rescheduled for the fall.

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