"The impulse to sew breathing masks in the field of fashion design came from press reports about clothing manufacturers who have changed their production to meet the current demand for breathing masks," says Dorothe Follmann, lecturer in the field of fashion design at Trier University of Applied Sciences. The idea was immediately well received in the fashion design department. Together with Claudia Hannig-Romann, the lecturer, Dorothe Follmann developed an appropriate pattern. Besides an optimal cut, the materials used are also important. A finely woven wire at nose level ensures that the covering fits the face well and an extra soft elastic band offers a perfect fit. The cotton fabric must not be too thick so that the cover can breathe easily. Furthermore, the material must be washable at 95° C degrees so that bacteria, germs and viruses are killed. Suitable cotton fabrics were already available in the fashion designers' collection, but were also made available especially for this campaign by the dean's office of Campus Gestaltung, which highly praises the voluntary social commitment of the two employees and the students involved. A layer of fleece with the highest medical requirements is inserted between the cotton fabric, which acts as a filter. The fabric manufacturer Freudenberg, which develops nonwovens for health technology, also praised the commitment and sponsored the nonwoven. 

Of course, this project also requires many helpers. For example, students of fashion design support the sewing work. Three masks per hour can be produced, 500 masks are initially planned. In the meantime the campaign has spread virally and many interested people contact Campus Gestaltung. This week the first packages of breathing masks will be distributed first to institutions such as old people's homes and nursing services and later to private individuals. 

The breathing masks will be printed with the typographic lettering "No kissing until 2021" by the two fashion design students Eugen Dühr and Hanni Akkil and give hope for a time after the virus.

"The fashion design department places great emphasis on teaching practical handicraft skills and so many students have very good sewing skills. That this knowledge proves to be very important is shown by this special time. For many years students have been committed to society in various social areas and it is a matter of course for our students to support the region and the city of Trier with their knowledge and skills and to sew breathing masks for a good cause in addition to their online studies", says the Vice Dean of Campus Design, Prof. Dirk Wolfes.