The first thousand masks were now handed over to Katharina Guggenberger in Durach, who will continue to distribute the masks to nursing services and old people's homes - such as the Legau old people's home - as a donation. The "AllgäuerNähmädla" (Allgäu Sewing Girls) had joined forces because in the course of the Corona crisis there was always talk of not having enough safe face masks. Among others, institutions such as old people's homes, nursing services, doctors' surgeries and physiotherapists suffer from this, as they have difficulties with the supply for the most part.
After the "AllgäuerNähmädla" - until then a few volunteer seamstresses who sewed makeshift masks out of cotton fabric - received a request from Topp Textil and there are many Allgäuer people willing to help who cannot sew themselves, Katharina Guggenberger spontaneously agreed to coordinate the cutting as help and thus be able to produce even more masks. The circle of volunteers grew very quickly. Within one day, her team was able to find 25 cutters from Bad Grönenbach and the surrounding area who made thousands of cuts from Topp's textiles in one week! At the same time, the sewing department of Topp Textil in Durach took over the making of the masks.
Since the beginning of the Corona crisis, Topp Textil had already started donating fabrics and ribbons for the mask production to Allgäu sewing initiatives and other supra-regional initiatives such as that of Mara Muth from Eberbach and charitable associations such as the Caritas Association Kempten-Oberallgäu.
Topp uses only textiles manufactured in Europe for the now specially set-up mask production. To ensure the greatest possible wearing comfort and at the same time high moisture and particle absorption capacity, the two-layer face masks were developed from a combination of a dense fabric and a high-quality micro velour knitted fabric. The masks are recyclable and washable at 90 degrees.
In addition, the management reports that all four production sites of the Topp Group are currently working hard to produce either medical surgical masks or mouth-nose masks for their regional markets.
Mouth-nose masks can now be ordered in quantities of 35 pieces or more directly from Topp Textil or in small quantities of 5 pieces or more via the Etsy portal (in the shop: topptextil).
"Even though the dedication and commitment of our employees to the production of masks will not compensate for the coming loss of earnings, it will allow us to keep our employees employed and do our part to overcome the crisis" says Managing Director Dr. Stefan Topp. He goes on to emphasise "how uncomplicated and selfless the spontaneous cooperation between the AllgäuerNähmädla and our company worked in the interest of the cause."
According to statements by the German Textile and Fashion Industry Association, the consequences of the Corona crisis for the German textile industry were dramatic. Textile and clothing manufacturers have been hit particularly hard, as retailers have had to close their shops. "Orders have been cancelled in rows, supply chains have collapsed." It remains to be seen when the fashion and automotive industries will be able to produce normally again. The German Textile and Fashion Industry Association sees the companies' efforts as positive. "They are making an important contribution to the fight against the virus by producing protective equipment and breathing masks," says Managing Director Uwe Mazura.