The fashion industry is always well-known for setting trends and helping to define the look and tastes of the fashion world in any part of the globe. While it sometimes seems that the fashion industry is more concerned about the latest summer fashion trends or making some sort of statement with their fashion looks, there are times when the latest fashion trend is also practical and easy for people of any age to wear on a daily basis. This is especially true of the latest fashion statement sweeping the country since it involves a piece of clothing that almost everyone is wearing on a daily basis. It is safe to say that the fashion statement of 2020 is the face masks people are wearing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Face Masks as a Fashion Statement
As the number of people around the world wearing face masks to protect themselves and others during the continuing COVID-19 pandemic continues to grow, there is also a growing trend of people wearing designer face masks as a fashion statement.
In an interview with the Pine Bluff Commercial newspaper, Yunru Shen, an instructor for the Merchandising, Textiles and Design (MTD) program at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff said, “The face mask is the symbol of the 2020 fashion year.” She went on to add that wearing a face mask “not only represents the events surrounding the outbreak, but also reflects our desire to protect ourselves, our families and others.”
Due to the continuing outbreak of COVID-19, the public should expect to wear face masks as protection from the virus for at least another six months to a year.
The need to wear a face mask has actually turned into a creative outlet for fashion designers around the world. According to Shen, fashion designers have been busy creating designer face masks and then selling them online. There are many customers around the world that are looking to make a fashion statement with their face masks in order to reflect their own personality.
The designs created by fashion designers around the world vary in their patterns and materials as well as their colors. The designs range from a more traditional and practical look to designs that feature pop culture characters and the logos of sports teams. In addition, some fashion designers are creating more extravagant masks that make a fashion statement when viewed by the public. Plus, there are even some face masks that are designed to imitate the shape and look of a N95 respirator mask.
Face Masks and Social Media
As the need to wear a face mask continues throughout 2020, social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram are filled with photos of individuals following social distancing rules while wearing fashion forward masks that reflect the individual spirit and personality of the person wearing the face mask.
YouTube has also joined in the face mask fashion statement spirit by publishing videos that show viewers how to design and create fashionable DIY masks at home.
Costs for Fashion Statement Face Masks
While fashion forward face masks remain popular with people of all ages, the prices for these masks vary depending on their materials. In general, cotton masks cost anywhere from $10-$20 while masks made of other materials, such as the French lace mask by Maison Modulare, cost around $60 per mask.
Shen feels the trend of designer face masks will continue to be popular until the time comes that vaccines for COVID-19 are widely produced and available to the general public. “This isn’t the first time that a world event has shaped fashion. During World War II, due to limited resources, people changed their fashion shopping behavior from buying regularly to ‘make and do mend’. Some big fashion brands started selling luxury items at half-price. And instead of producing evening gowns from traditional silk or lace, they started making them from cotton.”
How to Make Your Face Mask Fashion Statement
As mentioned above, there are many videos on YouTube that show people how to make their own face masks. While making a face mask that reflects the personality of a person is a fun method that allows people to make the best of a medical pandemic, there are certain steps that the public must follow in order to make sure the face masks are accomplishing their main task of keeping the public safe from coronavirus.
Shen said that anyone that is interested in designing and creating their own face masks can follow the guidelines set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that show the proper way to make homemade cloth face coverings. The public can get the instructions they need to make both sew and no-sew masks, along with other COVID-19 resources, by visiting the CDC website. It is important to follow the instructions provided by the CDC so people can enjoy both a fashion forward look and public safety at the same time.
MA