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A30 FEATURE
Saturday 18 July 2020
Animal print, beads or plain black, masks become about style

By ANDREW SELSKY
Associated Press
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — They
can be colorful or come in
basic black, make a politi-
cal statement or just a fun-
ny one.
Masks made of cotton and
other washable materials
have become big sellers,
and an emerging fashion
item, as face coverings
have been increasingly
mandated around the
world to reduce the spread
of the coronavirus. In this July 14, 2020, file photo, a firefighter wears a face mask
Sales are expected to get with the colors of the French flag, prior to the Bastille Day parade In this June 26, 2020, file photo, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of
another boost after Britain on the Champs-Élysées avenue in Paris. Calif., speaks at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington.
and France announced Associated Press Associated Press
this week that they will re- feet (2 meters) apart. Nancy Pelosi began wear- grams ... styles with animal against economic injustice
quire masks in public in- In a sign that masks are ing masks that matched faces or lips," she said. that began in late 2018.
door spaces. That could becoming a fashion trend, her outfits, people watch- There's also the comical, Workers at restaurants and
help France's textile and Vogue magazine recently ing her on news channels like the one that says, "Rest- other businesses are wear-
luxury goods companies listed 100 "aesthetically noticed they had a Donna ing mask face." ing masks with corporate
unload a surplus of masks pleasing" selections. The Lewis label on them. The Also available are masks logos. Oregon Gov. Kate
that numbered 20 million in fashion magazine's recom- boutique in Alexandria, Vir- saying, "Black lives matter" Brown wears one showing
June. mendations include a mask ginia, became besieged with an image of a raised the state flag.
In addition, at least 25 U.S. with beaded accents from by purchase orders and fist. Some businesses have In Colombia, dozens of
states are requiring masks in Susan Alexandra. The cost: soon ran out of the labels, told employees they can't fashion companies have
many indoor situations. Or- $70. Masks made from vin- which customers demand- wear them, sparking de- pivoted to producing
egon on Wednesday even tage quilt tops, by Farewell ed. bate about appropriate masks, including ones with
began requiring masks out- Frances, go for $25. The boutique now has a workplace attire and the colorful images of toucans,
doors if people can't stay 6 After U.S. House Speaker huge backlog of orders, desire to show solidarity jaguars and other tropical
co-owner Chris Lewis said. with the fight against rac- designs that normally go on
"I'm shipping them all over ism. expensive swimsuits. South
the world now," Lewis said. Masks can show patriotism Africans often sport masks
"Orders are so furious, I as well as activism. made of colorful African
can't keep up." In Paris, a firefighter wore fabrics.
Perhaps showing some a face covering with the But for many consumers,
fashion sense, when Presi- colors of the French flag plain white will do.
dent Donald Trump wore before marching in the When Uniqlo, a major Jap-
a mask publicly for the first Bastille Day parade cel- anese clothing retailer,
time Saturday, he chose a ebrating the national holi- put its white "cool and dry"
navy-blue one that bore day this week along the masks with breathable fab-
the presidential seal and Champs Elysees. Others at ric on sale in June, shop-
matched the color of his a protest across town wore pers lined up at stores and
suit. yellow masks, representing crashed its website. Sup-
Thanks to mask sales, Etsy, the yellow vest movement plies sold out in hours. q
the online crafts market-
place, has seen revenue
jump. In April alone, Etsy
sold 12 million masks, gen-
erating $133 million in sales.
"If face masks were a stand-
alone category, it would
have been the second big-
In this Saturday, July 11, 2020, file photo, President Donald Trump gest category on Etsy in the
wears a face mask as he walks down a hallway during a visit to month of April," CEO Josh
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. Silverman said.
Associated Press
Second-quarter revenue,
to be announced in Au-
gust, will likely show mask
sales are red hot.
Black masks are in high-
est demand, followed by
white and floral patterns,
Etsy spokeswoman Lily Co-
hen said.
"We are seeing lots of University of Idaho sophomore Jade Osborne wears a school-
themed face mask to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus
unique variations on masks, while talking to a freshman during UIdaho Bound, Friday, July 17,
including personalization 2020, in Moscow, Idaho.
with names and mono- Associated Press