The COVID-19 pandemic has taught me more about face masks than living in the heavily polluted air of the Indian National Capital Region. In my house, we have been wearing N99 and N95 masks for at least the last few years. We also purchased indoor air purifiers for the three most frequently visited rooms in our apartment.
When there weren’t any masks available anywhere, online or offline, I wasn’t too upset about them being available. Alternatively, available products may be sold on the “black market” for at least five times their original MRP. I already had N99s stashed in my warehouse. I shared a few of those masks with my parents and we had enough to last us through another year of pollution. But it’s not enough to beat the pandemic. Because the pandemic was much more immediate and severe, using masks to combat air pollution was not enough.
The world’s leading scientists and doctors are still figuring out what’s happening with COVID-19. It’s no wonder we’re still wondering what to do with our lives. Should we always wear N99s? Are N95s with discharge valves acceptable? Why are there so many gaps in the blue surgical mask? Should I wear a 2-layer or 3-layer cotton mask? Should I wrap a stole around my face instead of a mask? etc.
Now masks have become a fashion item. After reading both sides, I understand those who hate masks being turned into fashion statements and those who hate using masks being turned into fashion statements: I understand both sides and decided to be on the latter side.
Like almost everyone else in the world, my profits weren’t just losses. There was absolutely no profit for me. 90% of my income was from photography. And this has completely disappeared during the lockdown. It seems like it will continue to disappear for a while. And even if it does come back, it will be in pieces and on a much smaller budget than before.
I can still use my talents and skills to paint. My hand-painted wearable art brooches have performed very well. Considering I painted it myself, I had about 60 orders in the first 12 months of operation. It was a small and somewhat unstable source of income.
Another revenue stream option was brand building/social media workshops. The world was using Zoom, and it seemed like the perfect time to bring our on-site workshops and consulting practicums online. I did that. This too was a small and somewhat unstable source of income.
One of my young friends suggested that we should focus again on one big thing and look at additional revenue streams as well. I haven’t been able to do this yet. Because both my art and consulting work were much newer than my 16 years of photography. I am hoping that photography will continue to be my main focus when things return to a bit more normal.
Until then, I’m exploring painting on various surfaces, including masks. I buy pre-stitched masks from a design studio in Delhi that employs female artisans. They are then painted in a variety of colors using the same impressionist/dot style used for the series of brooches.
I launched Flower Doctor and Rust Peacock first, and newsletter subscribers received almost 50% off the pre-order price. We have shipped all pre-orders and some new orders over the last 3-4 days. I also started sending masks as gifts to people who helped me: my friends, editors, and art industry leaders.
Only after receiving an order notification from the online store do we begin painting the mask. Masks go through several stages of cleaning during the production process, and when delivering them to customers, we repeatedly tell them to wash them once more before using them.
There are no medical or scientific certifications claimed for my masks. I’m not claiming that they are “breathable”. When you wear a mask, sometimes you can breathe through the mask, and sometimes you can breathe in and out parallel to your face. I prefer the latter. Because that means I’m not breathing directly on the person in front of me. This causes your glasses to fog up every time you wear them.
Finding what fabric to use for the mask was a difficult journey. I am currently using 100% cotton poplin. The fabric had to be strong enough to last a long time. The masks had to be reusable and hand washable. The fabric should also be smooth enough to apply the paint evenly, but not so smooth that the paint won’t stick.
Fortunately, I am using paint that is already certified as non-toxic and UV-resistant by European standards. Mainly ASTM. However, international shipping is still quite unreliable and slow, so this paint will likely be out of stock soon.
Next, there was a question about rubber bands. I wanted to keep it simple, but I also wanted to use good quality elastic. This is a commonly available elastic band in the Indian market. It is considered “good” quality. There is an option to make a cloth cover over the elastic band, but I decided not to do that because the bulk around the ears hurts more. And it would have cost much more to make that cloth cover.
And this was all after I ordered a few masks and sent them a few (as promotional gifts). I wrinkled my nose at the terrible stitching, how easily the fabric frayed after one wash, the flimsy quality of the elastic bands, or the rough texture of the fabric. I found that with most masks there was at least one thing that worked properly, but if you’re being generous, everything else was fine. There was only one mask that showed potential, so we contacted them to see if they would agree to supply small quantities. Initially, we wanted no more than 10. Fortunately, the mask launch went well. Due to small numbers and small budget, I haven’t figured out any fabric colors yet other than the white and rust colors I’m already using.
One thing I didn’t have to worry about, especially for domestic orders, was shipping. I set up a VamaShip account through my Instamojo account, where I can use the dashboard and ship anywhere I want in India. It took a while for international orders to pick up during the lockdown and they have finally started again and are just as ridiculously expensive as before.
Below: Painting in progress for the bestseller ‘Flower Doctor’. The first set of masks you pre-order will be painted and shipped to you.
The initial mask set also includes 100% cotton poplin in a plain rust color and a black elastic band. I had a hard time coming up with a color combination to go with this rust. And what I finally came up with got some strange reactions from my friends and acquaintances and I showed it to them. I almost never put it on the store. Until I did and it turned out that Rust Peacock had a buyer! It looks better when worn than when laid flat on a surface.
I tried really hard to avoid gold on the mask because the paint isn’t as bright and shiny on the fabric as I would like. My brooches shine much brighter as the varnish emphasizes the refractive index. But I experimented and came up with a way to get SHINY SHINY gold on fabric without interfering with its breathability! like that <참석할 결혼식>class <나는 황금빛>This was born.
The packaging wasn’t that complicated. I’ve already come across packaging that doesn’t stick to paint, and double-wrapped each mask. It then came in a clear plastic packet along with a handwritten note card and a flyer for the February/March exhibition. These packets are then wrapped in bubble wrap or any other thick protective material I have available. It is then placed in a bright pastel blue plastic courier bag. It also has a clear pocket to put your shipping details (generated by VamaShip and printed at home).
This is how my hand-painted wearable art mask empire was born! haha. Just kidding. We haven’t even reached the break-even point yet. A pandemic is not really a good time to sell fashion items, but at the same time, before the pandemic, selling hand-painted masks in India was unthinkable. There was no market at all. At least now there is a market for it and I just need to find a discerning art clientele that fits my mask.
I think I have already used the Made In India hashtag to death on each and every social media platform. And Made In India was created by me, an independent artist. It’s literally wearable art! This is another hashtag that I have used and will continue to use until the day I die. So it’s not death yet 😛
It’s a pretty mask. It is not a medical or healthcare item, as Instagram mistakenly believes. This mask is washable, but do not iron it as the paint may stick to the iron and peel right off the mask. However, you can air dry this mask. Wear a mask when going out. Whether you wear mine or something else, just wear one.
Shop mine now!
My mask modeled by: Adete Dahiya.
Each mask is a unique painting. Even if you order two together, they are not the same.
Thank you for reading until the end! If you’re wearing one of my masks, please share a photo with me! We will only re-share it on social media if you give us your consent. Otherwise, I would love to see my customers wearing my creations!
If you would like to place a bulk order, please send us an email at (email protected) and we will contact you with a quote.
