As we celebrate Labour Day, I could not help but remember what happened 4 years ago. Freedom and Health which we have always taken for granted became pressing concerns and a luxury with the pandemic, during the months of Circuit Breaker.

 

Fuchsia Lane was fortunate to be granted the permission to continue working as essential services. During that period, we created life savers – masks.

 

Not just exclusively a few pieces but tens of thousands of masks for the migrant workers who live in dormitories with spiking covid infections daily, for the community, for charity, for children from The Children’s Wishing Well and for our supportive clientele.

 

We were so fortunate to have been able to contribute to the nation and community in such times of dire need where the economy came to a screeching halt coupled with grave concerns of the lack of a vaccine with the then unknown virus.

 

I remembered going to work everyday and feeling so blessed to save a life or make someone smile with our masks. We were also incredibly honoured to retain our artisans’ livelihood with no salary reduction.

 

Fortunately, I had the foresight and sensed something amiss at the start of 2020 with the spread of Covid in another part of the world. Therefore immediately got to work on doing our R & D into mask production.

 

It was even more challenging to make a well fitted comfy mask than to make a qipao given the minute precision needed and lack of experience beforehand. With the help of a good friend in HK, I imported filters and raw materials required for the production of masks before the scarcity hit.

 

So when our Circuit Breaker started, we were all prepared to produce the masks. We packed and sent beautiful masks as gifts to our VIPs and our suppliers, wishing everyone to stay healthy.

 

With the same philosophy in creating beautiful things, we produced embroidered silk masks, perfectly aligned print and lace masks which fitted comfortably to the contours of your face with adjustable mandarin knots or soft bands. We spared no effort in ensuring that the masks were aesthetically pleasing yet comfortable, with the use of fabrics like brocades, jerseys, silks, laces and embroideries.

 

We even made cool sports mesh masks and embossed crane masks for men!

 

We were delighted to know that customers’ spirits were uplifted when they received the exquisite masks amidst the gloom during that period. When the Circuit Breaker eased, we made sure that our atelier was sanitised everyday before and after each appointment. In addition, all the garments that customers had tried on were steamed and sanitised, which is a hygiene practice that we have continued up until today!

 

We were even more pleasantly surprised to know that after a year and half since the end of the pandemic, we have been awarded a certificate of Commendation signed by former President Halimah Yacob and another ‘Covid-19 Resilience Certificate’ signed by the Minister of Manpower, Dr Tan See Leng. These certificates have been awarded to Fuchsia Lane in appreciation for our significant contribution to Singapore’s fight against Covid, which we have not been expecting!

 

Thank you for allowing us the honour to be the Covid Fighting warriors during this significant part of Singapore’s history where our creations had made a difference!