Shreya Gupta
October 26, 2020
With the COVID-19 pandemic making face masks a necessity during the festive season, people have learnt to use them as a fashion statement, in the best way possible.
Matching masks and outfits
( Source: India City Blog )
The COVID-19 pandemic has made the fashion industry slouch, with people holed up in their homes in pyjamas. However, face masks, which were till now a necessary accessory to keep people safe from the virus, are now rising as a fashion tool. Trendy face mask designs seem to be following the same trend as other medical accessories such as fracture plasters, spectacle frames or lenses.
Currently, the most common and most interesting way of using face masks is pairing them with similar or exactly the same outfits. People have been seen pairing cotton face masks with kurtis or dresses of the same material. According to Outlook, be it an indigo, kalamkari, Jaipur block print, Ajrakh or handloom plains, consumers are giving this functional accessory an uplift.
Designer Sukanya Bhattachariya of Prathaa Weaving Traditions says, “Masks are here to stay as a constant accessory in our lives, so it made sense for us to give it an aesthetic uplift. With Prathaa, the process started as a social demand to provide non-medical masks to the front-end essential services staff and then to cater to the demand of existing customers, giving it a stylish and chic twist,” as reported by Outlook. “The colours and variety of prints and weaves add to the quirk along with enhancing aesthetics," she added.
Fashion designer Sheetal Bhate told Outlook, “Tightly woven cotton along with natural silk or flannel is the most effective filter. Masks made with these fabrics are not only breathable and comfortable but also washable. Cotton and silk together can hold a static charge and provide a double barrier - mechanical and electrostatic; thus, being the most effective fabrics while making masks. Additionally, I follow sustainability as a practice, and in the current scenario, it is a requirement and a reality that many will be consciously choosing to gravitate towards”.
Back in June 2020, faceprint masks had gained quick popularity when people started going to photo studios to get the bottom half of their faces printed onto their masks. This was the time when people were not happy about the mask hiding their faces. According to Hindustan Times, a studio owner named Anto in Pallavaram had come up with this idea when the number of customers in his shop had started dwindling.
While the growing popularity of face mask trends is helping the fashion industry recover from the blow of the pandemic, it is also making people wear the masks more often. When a fashion statement does both, making people look good and maintaining the need of the hour, what else could be asked for?
Sources: (Outlook, Hindustan Times, Ruptly TV, India City Blog)
Edited by : Shreya Gupta