Highlights: What is a mask?
*Celebs donning designer Masks .
*Is it ethical to price masks at a high price?
Since we have to learn to live with COVID-19 for a while, donning a designer mask is the new fashion statement. Television shoots have begun and actors on sets have been wearing masks while shooting. We found the description of a mask on Wikipedia rather interesting.
` A mask is an object normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance, or entertainment. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practical purposes, as well as in the performing arts and for entertainment. They are usually worn on the face, although they may also be positioned for effect elsewhere on the wearer’s body.’
If you scroll through social media you will find that the humble cloth masks have evolved over the period of six months. Earlier, people just started using white and green masks for protection from the Coronavirus pandemic. But now there are satin and silky masks for brides and grooms, bright colored elegant masks for celebs. Even politicians are donning masks with artistic motifs and new age designs.
Designers are making fabric masks as medical masks are being left for the medical fraternity. We feel that masks are not a fashion accessory but since they take up most of our face area, donning a stylish one seems to be the best bet.
To make the most of the trend, in India, fashion designers, from Masaba Gupta to Ritu Kumar, amongst many others have shifted their existing resources to non-surgical, three-layered reusable mask production.
Across the world, there are different varieties from embroidery to gold and silver laced masks. In fact, in some parts of the world you will see designers incorporating their trademark designs on face masks.
Some of them stand out from the crowd. An Iceland-based designer with 3D knitwear masks stands out as an exception.
So, it is all about self-expression through masks.
Is it ethical to sell masks at a high price?
Now a mask is an essential item to be bought by people of all income groups. Some critics feel selling them at a high price is not ethical. Why spend on a mask when you can just buy it for a mere Rs 20?
Designer masks on Amazon start at around Rs 299 for a pack of three and goes up to Rs 900, depending on quality and print. Fab India, for instance, is selling pleated masks in a set of four for around Rs 170, while printed masks are being sold for Rs150 some designers are even selling a single mask for Rs 750 onwards.
For many the idea just came up as there was not much work for artisans and designers. It came as a lifeline for businesses left struggling by the lockdown lull. And now , at least for a year, selling masks is a good business.
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