Annapolis Designer Christian Siriano To Make Coronavirus Masks

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Celebrity fashion designer Christian Siriano — an Annapolis native now based in New York City and the host of "Project Runway" — will mobilize his sewing teams to help ease New York's shortage of masks and other medical supplies in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

"If [Gov. Andrew Cuomo] says we need masks my team will help make some," he tweeted Friday.

"I have a full sewing team still on staff working from home that can help," he said minutes after Gov. Andrew Cuomo called on help for a "critical" shortage of gloves, gowns and masks.

"Thank you. Please follow back and we will DM you," the governor replied.

Minutes later, the fashionista had signed up to help the state.

Siriano's was one of many offers that flooded into hotlines set up to field offers of unused supplies or from representatives of companies that might be able to help.

New York's shortage of medical supplies, specifically ventilators, was stressed by Cuomo Friday as he issued a statewide stay-at-home order that will go into effect Sunday.

Within hours, the hotlines were overloaded and the governor sent out an email contact instead.

Among the offers were a Brooklyn Navy Yard company that offered to make supplies with its 3D printer and a Rochester theater that said its costume department could step up, according to answers to Cuomo's tweets.

Earlier this week Mayor Bill de Blasio asked Tesla founder Elon Musk for help making ventilators.

New York City alone needs an estimated 15,000 ventilators as soon as April to meet the wave of patients expected to overwhelm the state's healthcare system, de Blasio said Thursday.

— Story by Anna Quinn, Patch Staff