Lockdown measures might have started to ease in some countries, but we’re still very much living through a pandemic. Yes, being able to roam the streets again after three months of quarantine feels exceptionally freeing, but that also means safety measures are even more important.
Governments, alongside the World Health Organization, now recommend wearing a cloth mask whenever you’re out in public, namely because they actually work. One visual experiment published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that masks block nearly all droplets from the mouth when one speaks. Another, conducted on patients who had influenza, proved the same. Needless to say, wearing a cloth mask is a must—and you can help support local Arab brands while you’re at it.
We’ve rounded up some of the best facemasks, all of which are sustainable, and support local causes, of course.
Jessica K
Using leftover fabrics from their SS/20 collection, this Lebanese brand has produced handmade, washable masks, dubbing them ‘Love Masks’. All proceeds will be donated to Balawalachi, an organization supporting marginalised communities in Lebanon.
Atelier Mundane
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBdY0NkgRvo/
What first began as a short campaign to donate funds to support the Yemani food crisis saw Atelier Mundane commit to creating masks. The sustainable fashion label is donating all proceeds to Mercy Bakery, an organization providing Yemeni people with bread.
Suzy Tamimi
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_kQEnHBFuh/
Palestinian designer Suzy Tamimi is no stranger to using fashion as a form of uplifting her heritage. When making face masks, Tamimi decidedly incorporated traditional Palestinian embroidery in her design.
Bokja
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBz4AAkgekA/
Looking for a way to support Lebanon’s nurses in the fight against coronavirus? Buy one of Bokja’s masks. The company, which is typically in the business of furniture-making, has partially converted into face mask production, and the proceeds are donated to local hospitals in Lebanon.
Emergency Room
https://www.instagram.com/p/CA-PN_tpgeu/
Priced at $5 a piece, Lebanese designer Eric Mathieu Ritter’s masks are affordable. Ritter told Arab News that after paying his employees, his profit margin is quite small, but necessary to sustain his business during the pandemic. The masks are made from upcycled materials. After all, that’s the ethos behind Ritter’s label Emergency Room.
