COVID-19 impact | Raise your style quotient with designer masks

Wearing masks has now become a necessity but why keep your options limited when you have plenty of designer masks to take your style up a notch.

Arjun, who resides in Mumbai has an Avenger print mask and is exploring more designs.

"I am looking for an Ironman print mask. I prefer a designer mask over a plain one because masks and what type of mask you wear are becoming a form of expression now. Just like how t-shirt prints are," he said.

Platforms like Voylla, Bewakoof.com and Wear Your Opinion are offering such masks.

"Wearing a mask doesn't come natural to us but we have to make it a habit. So, why not do it in an interesting way,” Divesh Smita Mehta, AVP - Marketing & Communications, Wear Your Opinion (WYO), a clothing brand, told Moneycontrol.

The platform is selling masks with quirky quotes. You can choose from a range of printed masks which have quotes like 'What I did today? Survived' to 'If you can read this you are too close'.

WYO started selling designer masks from April 18 onwards and since then has sold around 35,000 units across India.

"Shipping is still not very easy and a lot of workers have gone back to their villages. But, we are getting orders from both big and small markets," Mehta added.

If vibrant colours is more your style, then you can opt for Voylla, a fashion jewellery brand that has extended in to the masks category.

"We have an in-house design team of 15 people who come up with ideas and styles for designer masks. Although during lockdown it is hard to source anything, we are fortunate that we are in Jaipur, where Sanganeri prints is easily available. So, we could easily access the vibrant colours with good prints on them," said Vishwas Shringi, Founder and CEO, Voylla.

Voylla started offering designer masks on its platform from mid-April is getting 1,000s of orders and its products will soon be available on Myntra, Amazon and Flipkart.

The company is also planning to offer gloves soon.

Even casualwear and lifestyle brand Bewakoof.com has entered this category.

"Masks can become a fashion statement not just for adults but also for kids especially those in the five to 10 age bracket to whom it is tough explaining the coronavirus situation and the protective measures that needs to be taken. Hence, fun masks can do the trick for children. This is why for the first time Bewakoof has focused on the kids category," said Prabhkiran Singh, CEO and co-founder, Bewakoof.com.

In the last 15 days, the company has not only sold masks on its platform, but also to retailers and in total have sold 1.5 to 2 lakh masks so far.

If you think designer masks are just for style think again.

“There is also a functional reason for designer masks. If you are a family of four there are high chances that your masks can get mixed up. But with designer masks you know which one is yours,” said Mehta.

He added that “surgical masks are not affordable because you have to throw them after one use. And they are expensive as it comes for Rs 30. So, in a month alone you will be spending around Rs 1,000 just on one person. Plus, If everyone starts wearing surgical masks there will be not enough for medical professionals.”

Along with focusing on designs and affordability, companies are also focusing on protection.

"We are selling masks with three layers of protection on them. Our masks can last for 100 to 115 use per mask and if you have three you have enough for two months," said Mehta.

Singh added that they are using materials like cotton single jersey and woven fabric.

"We are doing two to three layers of mask. We are also coming out with anti-microbial layer masks and are working on more material which have antimicrobial property," he said.

According to Shringi, even after thing return to normalcy, people will continue wearing masks. “

"Designer masks is not new as a category across the globe. And in the current times it has become a basic need even in India," Shringi said.