It took the company only a few days to replace the Lycra in bras with non-woven fabric, and thus contribute to the great demand for masks. Thousands of masks have already left the workshops.
Rosanna Taglio is a company established by extraordinary women in the past and courageous women building their future. The company has been involved in cutting fabrics and services for the fashion market since 1982. Its combination of advanced technology, craftsmanship and know-how make Rosanna Taglio a reliable and decisive production partner that can respond to all its customers’ needs.
How did you organize your workflow?
Cutting fabric to make garments and lingerie for important national brands is our main occupation. We did not need to convert production because we already possess the necessary skills and procedures to work with the mask fabric. However, it was not easy to understand how to operate and the best strategies for productivity.
What was the main challenge you faced?
As with any other fabric, we had to study and learn about the various types of non-woven fabric. Each of these fabrics has unique characteristics and reacts differently to cutting and spreading.
Once we were acquainted with the cutting phase, we realized that bras could be transformed into masks. After days of intensive testing, we obtained a satisfactory result. Now, we have to industrialize our process even more to produce a better and more competitive product.
How long did it take you to become operational?
It took a few days to remove the Lycra for bras from the cutting machine and replace it with the non-woven fabric so that we could contribute to the request for masks.
We have been in operation since the beginning of March. It wasn’t easy at first, and it is still challenging to manage the different types of non-woven fabric.
Approximately how many masks were you able to manufacture?
Our cutting capacity is very high because we have two Lectra cutting machines. To date, we have cut 120,000 surgical-like masks for our clients. For the pre-formed masks that come from the cup of the bra, we have been able to produce 60,000. We have the capacity to cut 6,000 pieces per day over two shifts.
We have provided a batch of masks to our collaborators, their families and the companies and associations of Fabriano, where we have our headquarters. A small gesture that made us feel more useful and close to those who continue to work in these companies and in our territory.
If you had one piece of advice to share, what would it be?
The simple desire to get involved can transform a daily and ordinary gesture, such as cutting and pre-forming cups for bras, into an extraordinary resource. Look with different eyes at the tools you have available. Your skills and enthusiasm will do the rest.
We have to bring our work back to Italy. This is an opportunity to do it and we have to try.
We have also thought of those who struggle to get masks: we shared our pattern and a simple, 5-step tutorial for sewing the masks on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
