Fashion industry has been one of the most affected industries due to COVID-19 with almost all the brands and designer stores shut. Sales have come to a halt and the industry has been trying to find out ways to make up for the economic loss incurred. Amidst the crisis, Indian designers have come up with creative ways to use last season’s inventory that still lies piled up in the workshops, therefore helping in reviving the economy.
Brands like Peter England, Louis Philippe, Allen Solly, Van Heusen and Zodiac are creating printed cotton masks, which match with their shirts. This innovation, according to businesses will be the new normal during Covid-19 and even after the lockdown gets over. Similarly Fab India has also introduced various prints and designs in their cotton masks.
Not just brands but Indian fashion designers are also using their last season’s inventory to make designer masks. While some designers like Shyamal and Bhumika have decided to donate masks to hospitals, others are putting their designer masks up for sale and some are being offered complimentary with the garments. According to fashion designer Payal Singhal, “Masks have become a necessity, so everyone is going to need them and wear them. I feel designer masks will become a trend.” Other fashion designers who are coming up with their own designer masks are Nivedita Saboo, Ritu Kumar, Anita Dongre. Masaba Gupta has come up with quite an interesting way to promote her signature bright colored and printed masks, which she calls “Maskaba” by making an Instagram filter so that customers can virtually try the masks before buying.
While designers and brands have been coming up with innovative ways to make masks, it important for us, as consumers to be aware of the fabrics that are really effective in preventing the transmission of covid-19 virus. Cotton masks with just one or two layers are not effective enough and we should go for either neoprene masks or the ones used for medical purposes. A neoprene-activated carbon dust mask filters out 95 percent of dirt particles in the air, is breathable and washable too. Designers should make sure that their masks either have three to four layers of cotton, a pocket or they can even add a layer of polypropylene for better filtration.
We hope everyone’s staying safe at home and taking necessary precautions to fight Covid-19!
(Picture credits: Google images)
By Vasavi Mehta
