Mask it in style

KOCHI: Now, fight coronavirus in style! A woman entrepreneur from Wayanad is making designer face masks which she hopes will lift the mood of people in these gloomy times.Like many others, Shanida K K, 33, too had to close down ‘Trendzsport’–her sportswear production unit-cum-shop at Kavumannam near Kalpetta–when the nationwide lockdown kicked in on March 25. Her workers, most of whom hail from Tamil Nadu, had gone back home barely a few days earlier. 

The idea of producing fancy face masks struck Shanida after she came to know about their shortage through the media. “The shortage was severe in Wayanad and I thought of utilising our production unit to make masks. One of our clients in Tamil Nadu too asked me whether we can supply masks in bulk,” she said.   

Shanida said she had sufficient raw materials at her unit–good quality fabric used for making sportswear. Manufacturing designer and custom-printed masks was the brainwave of her husband Shaji P K, who is a physical education teacher at the Government HSS, Meenangadi.  

Besides their trendy look, the masks are easy to wear, according to Shanida. “The users don’t have to bother with the straps as the mask can be looped around the ears with the stretchable band which gives wearers more comfort. Moreover, the colour and comfort will light up the mood of people.

I want people to get a feel of wearing a facial accessory rather than as an imposed requirement,” she said. “Also, the material–a blend of polyster and cotton–is the same used to make sportwear. It is lighter, softer and durable than the usual cotton masks,” she said. A mask is priced at `10 and the custom-printed ones cost `15.