Light-up masks, technical masks, DIY masks ... this new tool for social distancing has become as fashionable as it is essential.

By Ludmilla Intravaia

While Skims face masks (the underwear brand created in 2019 by Kim Kardashian), sold like hotcakes this weekend, just a few minutes after their launch on social networks (see below), it is clear that, if there is indeed an accessory that has become unavoidable, in these times of Covid-19, it is the fashion mask, this non-medical protective tool now used in many of our daily activities.

From luxury groups to seamstresses at home, to ready-to-wear brands and young designers, the mobilization to create protective masks has grown since the beginning of the Coronavirus crisis : here , a stylist made masks for the members of his familly and people of his neighborhood, there, a big house produced masks for the general public in its leather goods workshops, in short, the fight against Covid-19 was organized very quickly, around this accessory now in the spotlight, whose regular wearing is likely to be part of our collective practices, for a long time (below, striped sailor mask of the French brand Saint-James).

Until recently, the mask was worn to avoid being identified, during street demonstrations, in particular by facial recognition or to protect oneself from pollution, a trend already taken up by fashion, for several seasons, for example by Marine Serre, who is collaborating with the Swedish start-up Airinum for technical masks, the latest of which were presented on her Parisian show AH20-21 Mind Melange Motor, on February 24, 2020 (more info in this Boudoir Numérique paper).

The artists also took interest in the mask, like the Fecal Matter duo, based in Montreal, who created an accessory of social distancing, from a Chanel bag (more info in this Boudoir Numérique paper).

And then there is the luminous mask, generally used to shine in raves, nightclubs or even the rooms of party people as motivated as confined, as in the post from the futuristic English brand Cyberdog (see below) which has a wide range of LED accessories in its light-up line (more info in this Boudoir Numérique paper).

The light-up mask, a great classic of fashion tech, has not left tech-savvy designers indifferent. This is evidenced by the reflection carried out in quarantine by designer Clara Daguin, known for her pieces mixing embroidery and electronics, who engaged in an artistic exploration on the theme of social distancing, by publishing numerous LED masks on her Instagram account (more info in this Boudoir Numérique paper).

Meanwhile, fashion designer Chelsea Klukas, founder of the startups Lumen Couture and Make Fashion, published two video tutorials to make her own mask using a panel of light-emitting diodes (more info in this Boudoir Numérique paper).

Finally, geeks were inspired by the mask of Lumen Couture, like the Twitter accounts Elec Dash Tron or Sir Sarah (see below) and the circle is complete, in a nice DIY twist.