Items

• 2020-05-18

  Face Masks as Fashion

  One of the most interesting things to watch during this pandemic for me is the rise of designer face masks. Ever since the CDC advised personal protective gear (PPE) to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, people have begun making DIY face masks or purchasing them from retailers ranging from small to large. There have been luxury face masks around before the COVID-19 pandemic—the most notable example in my mind is the all-Gucci outfit singer Billie Eilish wore to the 2020 Grammys that included a mask covered in the Gucci logo, which I think was simply for fashion despite the Grammys occurring in late January, around when people in the United States began to be on alert for the novel coronavirus. I had seen some designer face masks worn in photos compilations of “Instagram rich kids,” who are usually children of business moguls, celebrities, or royals, but had never seen them reach enough popularity to be worn by people in my social stratosphere (white & upper-middle class/upper-class) until now. What has been most fascinating to me are designer face masks produced by individuals, not by these large fashion labels. During this pandemic, most major luxury brands are not selling face masks. Instead, most “designer” face masks being sold are made by individuals profiting off the prestige or popularity of a brand. For example, on Etsy, where searching “designer face mask” yields 14,000 items for sale, people are selling “designer-inspired” or “stylish design” face masks covered in logos by companies such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, or Chanel. Another example is face masks created using actual designer fabric, which seem to be much less common than the designer rip-offs. One of my neighbors who owns and runs a high-end boutique created a small batch of face masks using vintage designer fabric from similar brands like Hermes and Louis Vuitton. When my mother and I ran into her on a walk, as she showed us the masks, she half-joked to us that we needed a “going-out” mask, a simple mask for going providing protection that you don’t mind getting messed up, and a “social” mask, a “fancy” mask like hers meant to be seen by others. I have not seen any “social” masks or designer masks myself being used out in the world (granted, I try not to leave the house as much as possible), but the popularity of designer masks can be clearly seen online. The fact that most of these “designer” masks are projects made by small creators is incredibly fascinating to me. The social capital that comes with owning something with designer logos is so strong that it is persisting during a time that people are going out of their way to create designer-rip offs for products that are not even on sale right now. I initially thought that because the pandemic we are living through is such a “time of exception” that people would be so concerned with just surviving that any social capital that comes with owning luxury clothing would be eschewed, but instead people are finding new ways to flex their wealth. Because most of these designer-logo masks sold by individuals are affordable for almost everyone, it will be interesting to see as time goes on how the amount of social capital that comes with owning one of these masks changes.