By Beenish Khan

In the month of February 2020, Covid-19 hits Pakistan and affects all schools of life whether there is IT Industry, Tech, Education, Government, Weddings, Fashion, and Economy. Life came on hold, people were restricted to their homes because gatherings and meetings are a big cause of the spread of Covid-19.

When surgical masks became part of our life, fashion designers came up with the idea of Branded designer cloth masks. This idea originated due to the falling economy of big fashion brands, it’s for people especially those who are used to staying stylish and now feeling outdated due to simple masks. International brands and fashion designers, like; Dexter Flawk came up with the idea of customized masks, with this most of the well-known brands, like; Urban Outfitters, Athleta, and Lela Sadoughi started running their machines for masks.

So, why do Pakistani brands get left behind in this race, brands like Ali Xeeshan, Alkaram, Khaadi, Generation, and Ideas started their matching outfit masks which are clothes masks and are low in cost, and bridal masks also came into fashion. With big brands, the small business industry also starts producing face masks, the popular names on social media are @wearmaskpk @protectivepk @facearmourpk. Famous designs for masks are Ajrak masks, and embroidered flowers, you can also customize masks with your name, and for children different cartoon characters are famous. I came to know the organization name @maskbanao which is a charity organization, whose motto is “Get every Pakistani to wear a mask”.

While these masks are now a fashion statement everyone using these reusables. I am not in favor of these, the main reason is that they are not surgical masks, not protective as they are made of clothes or layers of clothes. What’s more? The gap between the thread is big enough to pass a virus through them.

Hence, we can say that fashion brands are getting the most creative with the coronavirus pandemic. They have produced fabric face masks that are stylish, but still, they are not medically tested and approved.