Face masks were once widely used in other countries in Asia to protect from diseases and viruses as small as the common cold to larger viruses like pneumonia or any kind of sickness. However, we have seen a rise in the need for face masks due to COVID-19, also known as Coronavirus in the United States.
In the beginning, face masks were seen as tacky and only coveted since they were needed during quarantine and the stay at home order. However, once celebrities and influencers started joining the #MaskingForAFriend campaign to encourage wearing masks to protect others, the rise for trendy masks began.
This began with Eve (@therealeve) taking a photo with her wearing a black mask against the backdrop of wisteria flowers, hashtagging her photo with #MaskingForAFriend. Sophia Bush, Matt McGorry and Mayin Bialik soon followed suit with their goal of spreading accurate information about the benefits in masking, especially for those around us.
Of course, this campaign has the added benefit of celebrities normalizing wearing masks and also proving that wearing them can prove to be trendy.
Since masks are on everyone’s mind in part of an almost accidental trend, this trend is born out of necessity. However, this doesn’t change the fact that for the most part, we all now have to wear masks when we venture outside, and it’s not really surprising that fashion has noticed the opportunity.
More than half of the states in the U.S. require face coverings in public, and naturally it hasn’t taken long for fashion brands to begin innovating on this new way of life. Many labels have begun creating masks and infusing them with a little fashion personality. Some have also added charitable components to their designs, choosing to donate a portion of their mask proceeds to various causes.
Brands like Collina Strada, for instance, have made masks from headstock materials and added tie-dye patterns overtop; with each purchase, the brand also provides 5 masks to health care workers in New York City. Other brands such as Reformation have even begun styling their campaign images with masks too, showcasing floral masks to match their sundresses.
In many ways, these trends feel inevitable; especially since fashion is built on creatively revising the needs for goods. Fashionable takes make good public turns, especially when people are finding these needs uncomfortable. But since we’re so used to it, it should soon become a staple in your wardrobe.
