With several garment factories in Tiruppur taking up mask production in a big way in the last one-and-a-half months, the orders have begun to come in thick and fast, and for varied needs — surgical masks, “fashion” masks, customised masks, and even masks bearing images of actors.

V.S. Chandrakumar, chief executive officer, Sentinal Clothing, which used to make T-shirts with logos, says he decided to try out the concept for masks too. “The demand is huge from corporates for customised masks,” he says. Several companies want masks with their logos printed. Some give the design for the masks too, he adds.

With an eye on market share, Mr. Chandrakumar says he began making masks with images of actors printed on them.

“This immediately led to demand shooting up. We make 300-500 pieces a day with images of actors. However, customised masks with logos are more in demand,” he adds.

Popular choices

In the last few days, the company has sold over 4,000 masks with images of actors on them. With the in-house design facilities, he has so far printed images of a few Tamil actors and those in the Netflix series Money Heist. “It is all based on customer response and demand,” he adds.

The masks are made of knitted, double-layered cotton fabric that is bio-washed. So the products can be reused, he says.

Such is the demand for masks now that many factories in Tiruppur have decided to focus on them for the next three to six months. The exporters are all waiting for the Central government to permit sales abroad.