Designer face masks costing more than $60 each have hit the market as demand for the face coverings explodes amid Victoria’s killer second wave.
Fashion labels Dyspnea, Clear Collective and Uncommon Goods have all launched their own reusable designs for between $40 and $69.
NSW Health released guidelines stating masks should have three layers with a waterproof exterior to ensure the best protection.
Matthew Mason, a nursing lecturer from the University of the Sunshine Coast, said decorative jewellery could cause the mask to become heavy and fall off the wearer’s face.
‘Making a statement is not a bad thing – it just defeats the purpose of having a mask if it’s full of holes or falls off your face,’ he said.
Pazadz’s Black With Jewels mask going for $49 (pictured). It is advertised as fully lined, with 100 per cent linen fabrication. The hinged metal rings open so it is easy for the user to wash it
This mask by fashion label Dyspnea is $69 (pictured). It is advertised with having pinking lining and purple beads, and made from soft, stretch polyester
Clear Collective’s Animal Print adult face mask (pictured, left) is selling for $59.95. The cotton face mask is washable, reusable and advertised as having three layers. The mask comes with two filter inserts. Uncommon Goods’ Bandana Face Mask with Filter (pictured, right) retails online for $54.23 and is advertised as ‘NOT a medical-grade mask’
‘You don’t need to spend a lot of money to stay safe – as long as it has a couple of layers with different types of material, you are good to go.’
Mr Mason said fluid repellent ensured water or any other splashes a user encountered while walking around does not get through.
‘It does provide an extra layer of protection,’ he said.
‘You can kind of compare it to a tent – once water gets through it tends to get worse and that’s the same with a mask.
Mandatory mask wearing was introduced on July 22 in Melbourne after cases of coronavirus exploded in the city. This was extended to regional Victoria on August 2.
In June the World Health Organization (WHO) changed its advice on face masks and said they should be worn in public where social distancing was not possible to stop the spread of COVID-19.
It said new research had shown masks could provide a ‘barrier for potentially infectious droplets’.
Due to unprecedented demand there has been a widespread shortage of face masks in Australia leading many people to make their own.
Former dressmaker Toula Papadopoulos, of Padstow, New South Wales, has made – and sold – 300 masks with her mother, Anna, since the pandemic begun.
The sell the face coverings for $10 each at Boxing Works Sydney at Kings Cross and were inspired to put their skills to the test after watching a step-by-step video, uploaded by a high-end bow tie maker selling them from $150 to $210.
Former dressmaker Toula Papadopoulos (pictured), of Padstow, New South Wales, has made – and sold – 300 masks with her mother, Anna, since the pandemic begun
Toula Papadopoulos and her mother, Anna, sell the masks (pictured) for $10 each at Boxing Works Sydney at Kings Cross
Ms Papadopoulos said the cloth face coverings were a cheaper and more economically friendly option than the single-use masks, which have been a scarce – and sometimes expensive – product to source in shops across the country.
‘There are some people who are trying to make as much money as they can throughout the pandemic, but there are others who are selling them for reasonable, similar prices,’ she said.
‘My mother and I probably do an average of 50 in a day – if we really put our minds to it. I have a proper industrial cutting machine from my days of making wedding dresses and working for a children’s wear label.
Lorie Baboin (pictured, far right), of Banksia, spent two and a half hours hand-making her own but said it was easy enough for anybody to do
‘We use off cuts of all the fabrics we have. It’s a great activity to keep mum busy, being at home and in her 80s.’
Lorie Baboin, of Banksia, spent two and a half hours hand-making her own but said it was easy enough for anybody to do.
She works at Tom & Gerry’s Cafe in Sydney and said she copied a single-use mask design to make it.
‘I didn’t want to use paper ones, just because I didn’t want to use 10 masks a day,’ the 32-year-old said.
‘It’s more environmentally friendly.’
The NSW Governmnet’s Health Department on Monday issued general guidance for cloth masks following Premier Gladys Berejiklian strongly recommended that they be worn in public.
NSW Governmnet’s Health Department on Monday issued general guidance for cloth masks (pictured), which showed the best way Australians could make their very own face masks