Does Billie Eilish’s Gucci face mask even help prevent coronavirus – and how about luxury masks from Louis Vuitton, Fendi and more?
The coronavirus pandemic crisis has disrupted most industries including the luxury business. Some of the brands themselves are doing their bit: the world’s largest luxury goods company, for example Paris-headquartered LVMH announced that it would be retooling its perfume and cosmetics production lines to create hand sanitiser, which will be donated free of charge to the French health authorities. Meanwhile in Sweden, Absolut Vodka has pledged to donate alcohol for use in the cleaning gels.
And when it comes to the other product in high demand during these trying times – face masks – luxury brands also have plenty to offer; although do bear in mind that a lot of them are designed purely as fashion items, or at best as anti-pollution masks, and might not offer much virus protection, so it’s suggested to keep wearing your standard surgical mask underneath.
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That’s if you can get hold of them: while most of the masks listed here are theoretically available at the usual outlets, good luck finding one right now, except second-hand at stupidly inflated prices – and, really, who wants a second-hand mask?
Fendi sells a fairly rudimentary anti-pollution mask, albeit one with the iconic FF logo plastered all over it. Bally joined hands with rapper Swizz Beatz and aerosol X-ray artist Shok-1 for an eclectic collaboration on the face mask.
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Hyper-hip Off-White’s purely decorative masks come in a range of designs: the brand’s crossed arrows logo, diagonal two-tone stripes and, in an example of founder Virgil Abloh’s trademark bone-dry wit, one that just says “Mask” on the front.
Louis Vuitton masks, likewise, have been seen online on a range of famous people, most of them Instagram influencers. The brand has also produced natty red masks in partnership with streetwear brand Supreme.
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Italian technical outerwear company Nemen’s masks, which come in green, in an appealing soft fabric, were also produced in partnership with Airinum, and were also unveiled last year.
American menswear designer Palm Angels sells a basic anti-pollution mask in a comfy stretch material, with just the brand name on the front.
Italian designer Marcelo Burlon County of Milan produces the Cruz mask, featuring either the brand’s cross logo or its dramatic spreading wings motif; as well as the rather more serious looking Catedral air filtration mask.
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The Bad Guy singer’s Grammy Awards look proved oddly ahead-of-the-curve – but are expensive designer brand face masks effective at preventing the spread of Covid-19?