MINDFUL FASHION

MARK BUMGARNER launched The Armor Project in the middle of the pandemic as a response to the shortage of personal protective equipment at local hospitals. From utilizing leftover fabric, he talks about the importance of designing consciously, and creating a sustainable future for the industry

- MICA TORRES CRUZ

As we all learned—or relearned—over the pandemic, those in need are as numerous as the ways that we can help. For racing driver turned fashion designer Mark Bumgarner, knowing this sparked the idea for The Armor Project.

Responding to the shortage of personal protective equipment for medical frontliners in June 2020, Bumgarner’s label sprang into action.

“Due to lockdowns, it was very difficult to gather the manpower and source fabric that we needed to create PPE’s for our front liners,” he shares. “But we made it happen and were able to produce a few thousands of PPEs that we donated to various hospitals around the Metro. I used to drop them off, myself, at hospitals.”

The designer adds that the project that started as a philanthropic effort became a venture when regular people noticed the PPE’s designs. He then started producing athleisure-style protective gear different from those donated to medical frontliners.