In March when the Coronavirus emergency started in Europe, face masks turned into a necessary accessory. As they became rare to find and as surgical masks were mainly destined to healthcare personnel, many of us opted for reusable and washable fabric face masks.
Handmade at home during quarantine to pass the time or bought from designers who reconverted their productions to face masks during the emergency, these masks have become our daily companions.
Most masks currently on the market are designed for everyday practical and functional purposes, but, if you're looking for arty and extravagant unique masks, that you can maybe wear for that online Zoom party or in future at a rave or a music festival (when mass gatherings will be allowed again...hopefully soon), don't look further than Collina Strada's face masks.
A 2019 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalist with a DIY fun aesthetic and a passion for sustainability and preserving the planet, Collina Strada's New York-based designer Hillary Taymour decided during the Coronavirus lockdown to push her creativity and face the emergency with colour rather than getting depressed about an uncertain future.
So, after joining the Masks4Medicine campaign (started by New York City doctors and seeking to help healthcare professionals on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic stay healthy by collecting and distributing medical masks and other supplies) and posting a tutorial on the Collina Strada site on how to make face masks, Taymour focused onto the "Quarantine Collection".
The latter includes over 40 garments, comprising hoodies, sweatpants and T-shirts in bright and bold clashes of colours, with scribble prints or tie-dyed effects, plus accessories such as Taymour's trademark crystal covered water bottle and a selection of face masks.
All the pieces were made from the scraps of the Autumn/Winter 2020 collection "Garden Ho" at Taymour's studio by the designer and by artist Charlie Engman, who helped her sewing and embroidering the garments. There is an added value in the pieces: fashion-wise, the masks were made in collaboration with a well-known creative mind, Tomihiro Kono (河野富広).
The Japanese hair artist, head prop designer and wig maker customised Collina Strada's masks with leftover hair from his studio. Some of the masks in colourful fabrics and with thick fabric straps that can be used to make fun decorative bows, are embellished with long braids in pastel colours, others are embroidered with beads and sensual kisscurls.
Embellished and intricately decorated, these masks aren't medical devices, but they can be considered as urban wearable sculptures. They display a strong bond with the rave aesthetic and they could be the perfect accessory to add a twist to a look or enrich an outfit, or could be used to conceal your identity while revealing your creative self or as a prop for that perfect Instagram selfie.
Last but not least, while you can't buy this collection, you can bid for each and every piece it features (until Memorial Day 2020 -May 25th). All proceeds from the sales will go to 22 charitable organizations and initiatives tackling the health emergency, environmental problems like pollution and material waste and charities taking care of children in need, such as Action Against Hunger, COVID-19 Caring for Homeless Youth, Farmworkers' COVID-19 Pandemic Relief Fund, Navajo and Hopi Families COVID-19 Relief Fund, Charity Water, the Surfrider Foundation, Seeding Sovereignty's Indigenous Impact- Rapid Response Initiative, African Wildlife Foundation, Dead White Man's Clothes and Save the Children.
The creativity driving this collaborative collection, accompanied by images shot during lockdown respecting safety social distancing regulations, is therefore a way to face the challenges posed by Coronavirus and find the strength and energy to react to the emergency in a positive and optimistic way.
Comments