The Rise of The Face Mask
The following article was featured in the June 2020 edition of The Campus.
By Andrew James
With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the disease has been the face of fear, unemployment, and death. The mask, a safety object now common on the faces of New Yorkers, has become an opportunity for fashion and identity which was thought to be lost.
With the end of stay at home orders near and businesses beginning to open up, face masks, and other coverings, have become synonymous with the new normal society is about to enter. Crucial to the reopening of public places and businesses beg for everyone’s cooperation to wear a face mask, as not only a public health measure but also an act of kindness, easing coronavirus anxieties for anyone you may encounter.
While some New Yorkers are seen with surgical or N95 masks, the most effective mask typically reserved for healthcare workers and others on the front line, a new trend of more stylish face coverings, has risen in popularity.
Rather than blend in with a homogenous and generic mask, users are now able to customize their coverings to reflect their personality. Saheed S. from Brooklyn was spotted wearing a skull mask on his way to work, he said "I feel like this mask makes me stand out. I like skulls and stuff like that, they resemble my favorite characters from Scorpion."
Various mask vendors also used the pandemic as an opportunity to brand themselves, usually producing the coverings from home. Tatiana Hatcher, owner of namesake Hatchers.inc joined the cause. The Brooklyn fashionista donated masks to local hospitals and organizations, where demand for her designs picked up. “I felt like I wanted to give back in a way”, Hatcher said. She knew some people who worked on the frontlines and wanted to make their lives easier. The masks are made of cotton and are machine washable for safe reuse at $20 apiece. While she says that they aren’t substitutes for N95, Hatcher points out “they are a [good] coverage if they cough or sneeze”. Citing CDC regulations, Tatiana feels like these masks could provide independence to those who couldn’t leave the house prior.
Another vendor, Nolle Piggot from Queens, concerned about the mask shortages in hospitals returned to her design roots that she left behind after college. "My grandparents had underlying conditions... I decided to reach out on social media to see if anyone needed masks". After testing out various designs and fabrics on her family, she turned to Instagram (@wallflowuh) with immediate success -- her masks sold out quickly, her African style mask being the most popular.
For Noelle, "I don't want [the masks] to be a reminder of what's going on. It will keep them safe, safe from what's going on"
What started as a homegrown and local venture has now risen to national and corporate popularity with multiple big fashion brands throwing their hat into the mask ring. CustomInk, the famed custom swag company, now offers customizable masks. High fashion brands such as Louis Vuitton and Supreme have all come out with their production of face masks as well.
Overall, it seems like the face mask trend is here to stay and maybe key for society to return to a new normal moving forward.
