Each PPE design, which can be found exclusively on the AmorSui website, is named after a renowned female scientist like Dorothy Hodgkin and Rebecca Crumpler.
In 2014, University of Pennsylvania pharmaceutical fellow Beau Wangtrakuldee was developing a new drug test when she accidentally knocked over a jar, spilling the chemical contents all over herself. “I was lucky that I was able to get my clothing off quickly, so I just had a bad burn on my skin,” she says.“When you’re in that situation, you understand how scary and how fearful it could be when PPE does not protect you—in this case my lab coat. It could be between life and death.”
Five years later, Wangtrakuldee launched her PPE clothing line, AmorSui
(amorsuiclothing.com), which stands for “Self Love” in Latin. She says, “For me and for my team, it means self-protection.” The company, which launched with the princess-cut Marie Curie dress in 2018, strives to make safety clothing available to all regardless of gender, size or field of work, filling the gap for PPE products missing in the field. Wangtrakuldee even started working with Philly designer Victoria Wright to ensure high-quality pieces for her buyers when it came to functionality and aesthetic (think figure-flattering dresses and tailored pants with a brass zipper).
When COVID-19 hit and the need for these products exploded, she shifted her vision to a new sustainable medical gown, which is made using an eco- friendly process that does not emit toxic chemicals and can be washed up to 100 times. The gowns come with a mobile tracking app, making it easy for medical hubs to monitor the life cycle of the products, and are made from locally sourced materials from Bensalem. Another pandemic-inspired launch came in October when partnering with local physical medicine and rehabilitation physician Alyssa Cole. The product was a pair of multipurpose Alice Hamilton antimicrobial gloves with a touchpad finger accessory and reflective logo.
When asked about AmorSui’s next product launch, Wangtrakuldee hints at a pilot program with a large New Jersey healthcare system in 2021 to make fire-resistant leggings, scrubs and lab coats. “This will be a big pilot program, thousands that will be using the gowns for the OR,” she says. “The larger message about the brand from day one is to make safety inclusive.” That’s one big step in the right direction.
Photography by: Courtesy of AmorSui
