Scrub set for St Vincent's Hospitals by Cue
Object No. 2020/93/1
This set of hospital scrubs is the production sample that the Cue Clothing Company (established 1968) made in preparation for the 300-plus scrub sets which they produced and donated to St Vincent's Hospitals, Sydney. In March 2020, due to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic within the Australian community, the Federal and State governments instituted a nationwide lockdown which halted the operations of many non-essential services including manufacturers and retailers such as Cue. Conversely, essential services such as hospitals were facing increased demand. St Vincent's Hospitals provided testing facilities for COVID-19 across the city and treatment for affected patients which placed extraordinary pressure on their frontline staff: the doctors, nurses and allied health workers. The hospital provides their staff with fresh, clean scrubs each day. However, due to the pandemic they were faced with an unprecedented demand for all forms of personal protective equipment including scrub sets. In response to this urgent need for additional equipment, the Cue team leveraged their local manufacturing capability to initiate the project #ScrubsForStVincents to relieve the logistical and financial pressures the hospital was facing. This example of a business pivot and philanthropic support is one of the many ways in which Australian companies adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic. #ScrubsForStVincents was subsequently used as a media story to garner further support for St Vincent's Hospitals. Cue is one of Australia's most popular fashion brands with a reputation for providing young, fashion-conscious working women with stylish, well-fitted and well-made clothes. Established in 1968 in Sydney by Rod Levis AM, the company is one of the largest local manufacturers and retailers of clothing in the country. Roger Leong, Senior Curator, 2020
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Summary
Object Statement
Uniform, scrub set sample for '#ScrubsForStVincents', cotton, made by Cue Clothing Co, for St Vincent's Hospitals, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 2020. Gift of Lynette and Rod Levis, AM, Cue Clothing Co, 2020.
Physical Description
V-neck, short-sleeve navy cotton top with three patch pockets and side slits (size M), navy cotton trousers with elasticised waist and drawstring, welt pockets (size XL). The sizing is unisex. The Cue team created the pattern by working from St Vincent's existing scrubs and added a few extra design details like the welt to the pocket of the pant. The scrub set is supported by 8 digital images documenting the production process and hospital staff wearing the scrub sets including five images of the Cue team in various production stages. Images: 1. St Vincent's Hospital Nurse Joy wearing Cue #ScrubsForStVincents, 2020, photograph by Kate Bielenberg 2. Cue Design Room and Production Managers, Melinda Sammut and Erika Walker (left to right), 2020, photograph by Chris Sewell 3.Cue pattern-maker Toni Quinn creating the pattern, 2020, photograph by Chris Sewell 4.Cue cutter George Theore, cutting the sample fabric, 2020, photograph by Chris Sewell 5.Cue machinist Huy Nguyen, making the first sample, 2020, photograph by Chris Sewell 6. Melinda Sammut and Erika Walker (left to right) inspecting the garments, 2020, photograph by Chris Sewell 7. Cue Executive Director Melanie Levis with St Vincent's Hospital staff on International Nurses Day, 12 May 2020, photograph by Chris Sewell 8. Embroidered St Vincent's Hospital logo, photograph by Chris Sewell
PRODUCTION
Notes
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HISTORY
Notes
This is the sample used by the company as a test set.
SOURCE
Credit Line
Gift of Lynette and Rod Levis AM, Cue Clothing Co, 2020
Acquisition Date
10 September 2020
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