The face covering in the cover image is a limited edition collection by BASMA and will be available soon on The New Edit

London, United Kingdom

A masked world

It is fair to say that when fashion commentators sat down at the start of the year and predicted what big trends would emerge in 2020 few, if any, foresaw the emergence of masks as the years must have accessory. In all fairness 2020 has been anything but predictable and yet as the Corona crisis rolls on, one thing that seems certain is that masks are here to stay. On the 6th of June the World Health Organisation changed its advice on face masks, saying that they should be worn in public where social distancing is not possible. Uber was ahead of the curve on this having ordered all drivers and customers to wear masks since the beginning of may. The UK government soon followed suit mandating the use of the face masks on public transport. 

So as masks have moved from debated to recommended to mandatory, they have quickly become an essential item. Masks work by preventing infected wearers from transmitting the virus, capturing the infected particles before they can spread and contaminate the surrounding area and anyone in their path.  As face masks have become a part of the new normal, fashion brands have increasingly looked to bring some style to them.  Whilst many consumers have taken the view that if they have to wear masks, they might as well look good doing so. In fact styling face masks as a fashion accessory may have the positive effect of encouraging more people to wear them as they become part of a look or another way to express your style rather than a chore.

"Masks are fashion’s new frontier and are helping kick the industry back into gear after it’s Corona slump"

In a masked world, the mask is the first thing you notice when you see someone rather than their shoes or dress - so why not accessories it? Why not have it reflect your personality? Masks are fashion’s new frontier and are helping kick the industry back into gear after it’s Corona slump. People invest in quality dresses, shoes and handbags, why not masks? Many commentators in the industry expect quality, comfortable, ethical and beautifully designed masks to be at the centre of next season's fashion weeks.

With this sudden huge growth in demand for face masks, designers and fashion houses have been quick to bring out their own products. Amazingly, despite three months in lockdown, fashion designers have managed to develop a wide range of mask designs. Shoppers are suddenly able to choose from masks featuring stylish prints, fun Images, intricate designs and even formal masks ranges for work. As Ryan Lenora Brown noted in The Christian Science Monitor “Covid-19 has wrought chaos, but also unleashed an international wave of creativity and solidarity. Mask designs vary, but the underlying ethos is the same: This pandemic is ugly, but we can respond with beauty. “

"Masks have given many fashion companies struggling due to the impact of corona a new avenue to focus their design and to generate some income"

One of the most interesting trends to emerge with the rise of masks, is that young designers seemed to react first. Small brands and start up designers lead the way in developing designer masks with larger brands only much more recently following suit. Many of these smaller designers have focused on selling masks to their local communities and one of the positives of this has been more localised markets. On top of this many brands that have developed masks have done so with a charitable, social responsibility aspect to them with a portion of the funds being donated to charity or masks being donated to front line workers along with those sold. The British Fashion Council has lead the way on this teaming up with Julien Macdonald, Liam Hodges, Mulberry, Raeburn and Rixo to bring out six sustainable masks with 100% of profits going to NHS Charities Together Covid-19 Urgent Appeal, Wings of Hope Children’s Charity and the BFC Foundation Fashion Fund in the hope of raising £1 million.

Masks have given many fashion companies struggling due to the impact of corona a new avenue to focus their design and to generate some income. This has extended to the garment industry with Ashok Juneja, president of the Textile Association of India, predicting the mask market to grow to $3 billion in the next two years. That said most designers are still hoping that this most surprising of new trends doesn’t stick around for too long. We say why the hell not!

By Samson Royston, June 2020