The Pandemic has seen many changes to our lives but the most obvious one is having to wear a face mask when we go outside. But have these face masks now become a fashion item?
Are they more than just protection and can they be an extension of our personalities?
When you walk out the door you grab your keys, your wallet, your phone and now your face mask.
It has quickly become a fashion accessory in everyone’s wardrobe. It is not only a necessity but also a mandatory part of our everyday lives.
As the Coronavirus spread across the world, more masks where being seen in public. It was mainly medical professionals that wore them at the time.
Masks have been worn a lot in Asia for years even before the pandemic.
So would masks have become a more integral part of our lives even if the pandemic hadn’t arrived?
Robyn Carlson, a freelance designer and garment technologist, thinks so.
She said: “Yes, eventually I think it would have become a more social courtesy to avoid spreading germs when you had a cough or a cold.”
When online fashion retailer Boohoo released a collection of fashionable masks it caused an outcry from both the public, union leaders and medical professionals.
No less than three months later, it became mandatory to wear masks in shops and on public transport.
The search for masks online surged and the demand was even greater than before.
You can buy face masks anywhere. Online, in store and even at the weekly market.
It could be seen as vain for people to co-ordinate their masks to their outfits. With so many styles and so many patterns it is hard to choose.
Celebrities have been campaigning hard for people to wear masks and some have even unintentionally caused some masks to sell out.
Robyn said: “Kate Middleton (Duchess of Cambridge), Jennifer Lopez, Kourtney Kardashian, have made a huge impact on the trending of masks.”
“They have made them more trendy while pushing the importance of wearing them to keep others safe”.
“How to make a face mask?” was the seventh most searched for question on Google in 2020 with people getting creative making their own masks during lockdown.
Robyn said: “I have been spending most of the lockdown creating my own.”
People have learnt a new skill during lockdown getting creative and making their own designs. You can get a design for every personality and hobby.
From Football clubs to bands to your favourite animal print and can be bought anywhere.
They have now become an extension of our personalities.
Face masks are going to continue to be a part of our lives for the foreseeable future.
Making them fun and a part of us is the natural evolution of this necessary accessory.
I spent 10 years of my life not following my passion just working in bars and thanks to a leap of faith last year I have achieved so much that I decided to make it a career.
I host a radio show on the internet station Hard Rock Hell Radio every week keeping people up to date with what is happening in the world of rock while playing tracks from both established and new bands. I have done this for 14 months, every week and I have done over 70 shows including specials such as “Take me to the Sunset Strip”, “Twister Christmas Takeover” and “GlamRat at the Movies”. I write for Hard Rock Hell Magazine, I have written previews for their festivals, reviews of new releases, features articles (most recently ACDC’s Back in Black 40th anniversary) and interviewing bands. I have strong connections with bands in Scandinavia and have interviewed greats such as Doro Pesch, the Queen of Heavy Metal and in lockdown I interviewed Alice Cooper’s guitarist, Ryan Roxie. Another project I have been a part of with Hard Rock Hell is working with their programs that are available to watch on Amazon Prime, including their awards show and a new project called “Black Box”.
From working with this company both from home and at the festivals I have gained a lot of knowledge, learning how to use recording software (I currently use Reaper), meeting deadlines, creating contacts, developing interviewing techniques and research, plenty of research. At festivals I have had to think quick and research on my feet before interviewing and also adapting to situations changing at a moments notice.
My biggest passion is music. I cannot play it but I love listening to it, reading about and going to concerts.
