By Noreen Jazul Fashion designer Rajo Laurel is producing “reusable” personal protective equipment (PPEs) for frontline health workers. https://www.instagram.com/p/B-ZRbV0Hfrv/ In an interview with ANC on Thursday, Laurel said his team is using “100 percent polyester microfiber twill material,” to produce washable PPEs. The reusable PPEs must be thoroughly cleaned, soaked in boiling water, and properly dried after use, according to Laurel. Laurel said his team produces around 125 PPEs, reusable and disposable, per day. “This is our second week , so if you multiply that by six days, more or less we had around almost 900 units distributed,” he said. The designer said his team conducted several tests on the fabric to be used for the PPEs before they proceeded with its production. “It took us a while because it needs to be waterproof, it needs to have no holes in front. If you have holes in front, these should not be able to accept moisture,” he explained. Laurel, however, underscored that what he and other fashion designers are producing are not “medical-grade” PPEs, which is what the frontliners really need. “Pantawid lang ‘to habang inaantay natin 'yung talagang kailangnan nila (This is just for the interim, while we are waiting for what the frontliners really need),” the designer said. Laurel meanwhile lauded the fashion community for its efforts to help alleviate the impact of the COVID-19 crisis, especially on health workers.