Fashioning Masks. July 20, 2020. (1st March 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kipp, Caroline; Robertson, Erin
• Is Part Of: Journal of modern craft. Volume 14:Number 1(2021)
• Page Start: 35
• Page End: 42
• Publication Date: 2021-03-01
• Subjects: COVID-19 -- Masks -- Fabric Face Masks -- Textiles -- Fashion; Handicraft -- Periodicals; Handicraft -- History -- Periodicals; Industrial arts -- Periodicals; Decorative arts -- Periodicals; 745.205
• DOI: 10.1080/17496772.2021.1896143
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1749-6772

Abstract

Abstract: Since April 2020, the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) has asked for people to wear face masks in public to curb the spread of COVID-19. This shift has given rise to a mass movement of cloth mask making. Artists have leapt into action to produce masks for healthcare and frontline workers or as an alternative economy for lost income, while others customize masks to communicate identity, beliefs, or concerns. Mask making has also raised questions about the future of fashion with regards to health and sustainability. Through a series of conversations, experts from the arts, fashion, sustainability, and medical fields were invited to talk about the variety of issues, and questions this moment of mask making and wearing have produced. Boston-based creative Erin Robertson has been putting her talents to good use during the COVID-19 crisis. Robertson has been sewing cotton face masks for healthcare workers, as well as selling some chic options on her website to raise money towards her frontline PPE efforts. In addition, Robertson has leveraged her celebrity in order to share tutorials and materials to aid others in their mask making.