Reptile-skin face masks provide exotic covering
Leather artisan makes, sells gear using pythons, iguanas
DANIA BEACH — Brian Wood will cover your face with iguana or Burmese python for $90. Or, if you prefer, alligator — the “diamond” of leather — for $120.
The 63-year-old leather artisan was sitting in the living room of his Dania Beach home recently, watching people on TV putting all kinds of functional — if not very fashionable — safety masks on their faces, when he had a brainstorm.
Why not dress up the masks with exotic reptile-skin — and maybe help take down an invasive species or two?
He took a cup from one of his wife’s old bras (she was there and didn’t seem to mind), cut a hole in the middle for a carbon-coated MERV filter — the kind your air conditioner uses — covered it with Burmese python skin from his workshop and clipped elastic straps on each side.
Voila, the exotic leather face mask was born.
Wood, who has since switched to soft, silicone molds instead of bra cups, uses the skins from Burmese pythons — the invasive species invading the Everglades — and green iguanas — the ones invading your backyard, as well as the more exotic hides he’s used to working: alligator, stingray and ostrich. So far, he says, he’s sold 90 python, 40 alligator and 10 iguana masks.
The designer says his masks are based on designs from makethemasks.com, which states the masks are for general use only. According to the site, the mask design was developed by Montana doctors Colton Zaugg, Spencer Zaugg and Dusty Richardson — who tested it for seal, breathing and hygiene — but it is not FDA approved.
“This is not for medical use,” Wood says. “This is just for individuals, people who want to wear something nice out. I want there to be as much bling as possible.”
The veteran hunter says he has processed over 15,000 alligators at his 34-year-old business, All American Gator. Tanned skins — on their way to becoming wallets, purses, belts and more — hang on nearly every surface of his workshop.
The python and iguana hides make up a smaller portion of his inventory, but they play an out-sized role in his plans.
“You’ve got to understand, these things are wiping up our natural habitats,” Wood says. “I feel good about selling this stuff because these are invasive species. It’s good for the environment.”
Burmese pythons and green iguanas are considered invasive species in Florida by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Alligators are raised commercially for their meat and their hides as they’ve moved from an endangered to a threatened species. According to FWC guidelines, pythons, iguanas and alligators can be “humanely killed” on private lands. With special permits, their meat and hides can be bought by restaurants or accessories manufacturers like Wood.
One of Wood’s customers, Scott Mittleman of Hollywood, says he likes the masks so much he bought two: one made from python to match his python belt and python shoes and a second made from alligator dyed royal blue.
“I’m a person that likes to dress to show my style, and this enables me to,” Mittleman says. “It’s a good idea.”