The Mask Roundup

May 27, 2020

In our new reality, masks make the world go 'round. They've become an essential part of everyday life and a new ritual that will be embedded in our routine for a good while longer, it seems. So why not stand out?

At the start of quarantine, it seemed as if all fashion brands were coming out with custom masks. A good amount of them were, say, donating a mask to a factory worker with every purchase or donating all proceeds to charitable funds. But with a lot of these new mask-meets-fashion efforts came this sense of darkness—a "fashion for fashion's sake" mentality that seemingly disregards the fact that, for a lot of essential workers, personal protective equipment is simply a life-or-death situation, not an Instagram flex.

Thankfully, three LA brands are creating thoughtfully-crafted masks with both style and ethics in mind. 69, MEALS, and BUSTED all have a brand new range of handcrafted masks available now.

Photos courtesy of Ritual Projects

When art denim brand 69 dropped their signature denim face masks at the beginning of quarantine, they were so popular that they immediately went on back order. Then, they released the eye-catching Ruffle Mask.

With every purchase of the Ruffle Mask, 69 donates one of their basic masks to an essential worker.

MEALS

69's sister brand, MEALS, also has a new range of masks made from deadstock repurposed canvas. Iterations include the Watermelon Mask, the highly popular Pizza Mask, and the brand new Lettuce Face Mask. The brand has also collaborated with LA lifestyle/stationary menagerie POKETO, independent cannabis brand Pure Beauty, and "purveyors of avocado toast" at Kismet and SQIRL.

All proceeds from these collaborations have gone toward various COVID-19 relief efforts, donated by the brands themselves. Check them out below.

BUSTED

Perhaps the most visually satisfying of the masks are those made by latex brand BUSTED, crafted using their signature PVC with zipper detailing. The brand has redistributed proceeds from their masks to the many factory workers they employ. They have also sold out of their latex gloves, which are not only fashionable and affordable but easily sanitized as latex is synthetic.

Check them out below.

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Escaping the Glass Cage

November 19, 2024

For years, she stood still, watching life rush past her, a quiet observer behind the glass. Now, the glass is broken, and she steps out into the unknown. She walks through the city, caught between two worlds—part of it, yet apart from it.

Her journey is quiet but bold, searching for something she’s never understood, something just out of reach. On church steps and under glowing city lights, she questions everything: the rules, the past, and where she truly belongs. Each step feels both freeing and uncertain.

A curious soul in a borrowed life, she keeps moving forward, leaving behind only whispers of her escape, like a fleeting shadow in the night.