Editor’s Note
As the pandemic made masks ubiquitous, the fashion industry responded by transforming this essential item into a statement piece. This article explores how luxury brands are redefining protective wear as high-end accessories.
The symbol of the pandemic annoys most people. However, some are turning necessity into a virtue, transforming masks not only into fashion accessories but even into luxury objects.
Fashion designers discovered masks as styling objects during the first coronavirus wave. In the summer, numerous luxury labels such as Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Gucci, Chanel, or Off-White offered respiratory protection masks as fashion accessories for around 200 euros. The British fashion house Burberry launched its first own face mask with a vintage check design onto the market. The price for the reusable designer mask is around 100 euros – including a particle filter.
Now, in the second wave, jewelers are going a step further. The mouth cover is not just about fashion; now it’s also becoming a luxury and status symbol. A number of jewelers are releasing masks as pieces of jewelry. Austrians were among the first – fashion masks with Swarovski crystals appeared. Shortly afterwards, the first masks with diamonds were offered in India.
A jeweler from Israel is now making headlines. He is creating a mask worth $1.5 million (approximately 1.3 million euros) for a Chinese businessman from Shanghai – according to a report by the German Press Agency (dpa), this is the most expensive mask in the world.
The mask is said to have a replaceable N99-type filter installed. While this high-end mask likely meets most protection standards, weighing 270 grams, the mouth-nose cover is almost 100 times heavier than a standard commercial coronavirus protective mask. This ultimately makes the diamond-studded mask more of a weighty muzzle.