A FACEMASK FOR EVERY STYLE

The facemask isn’t going anywhere. Living the “new normal” means incorporating this new essential piece into our wardrobes.

Facemasks take up half of our faces. Why not go for something functional that also expresses your style? And while we’re at it, why not love local and continue your support for your favorite local designers, brands and artisans?

As a civilian, I leave the in-demand surgical masks and N95s to those who need them most — the healthcare professionals and essential workers — and opt for a chic cloth mask with a filter inside. While they’re not medical grade, they lessen person-to-person droplet transmission. For example, those from the Basic Movement marketplace’s Masks for Masks Project have passed the lighter test. They are also reusable and washable.

Here are the masks that have caught my eye. There’s a facemask for every aesthetic and look you’re going for. I hope this list has something you like.

ANN ONG

The jewelry designer embellishes facemasks with her quirky, maximalist flair using 100-percent cotton fabrics she purchased during a pre-lockdown trip to Osaka. They come tasseled, too! To order, send her a direct message via @ ann_ong_ on Instagram.

ZIGGY SAVELLA

The menswear designer matches his tailored aesthetic with his take on a facemask, detailed with a center seam for a face-flattering and particle-resisting contoured fit. It has an elastic ear loop and three layers of material with an inside pocket for your filters. To order, send a message via info@ ziggysavella.com or 0917-7946149.

PREA DOLFO

The up-and-coming designer’s proclivity for rich fabrics is echoed by her microfiber mask. The material has a luxurious sheen while also being waterrepellent, two-ply, with a filter pocket. To order, send her a direct message via @ preadolfo on Instagram.

VANIA ROMOFF

The womenswear designer brings elegance and romance to functional facemasks made of either jacquard (pictured) or 100-percent silk. Standard folds provide extra coverage while a slit lets you insert a filter or a surgical mask. Get it while you’re scoring pieces from her archive sale (ongoing until June 14). Order via vaniaromoff.ph/shop.

TOQA

The sexy resort sportswear brand’s masks are fourply (top layer, two non-stretch woven layers in the middle, and final mouth-facing towel) with a filter slot and two cord ties in the back. They are also adjustable and form-fitting for a variety of face shapes — important, because it guards against aerosolized COVID particles. So adjustable, in fact, that on their Instagram @toqa.tv, fashion insiders have taken to wearing them as cute bikini tops. Order via toqa.tv.

RANDOLF

While designer RJ Santos has been busy with his PPE project, he also brightens up neoprene facemasks with his signature pop culture references. This time it’s illustrations of fashion icons Anna Wintour, Grace Coddington and Bill Cunningham. Facemasks feature exposed overlocks, a filter pocket and garter ear bands. Part of the Masks for Masks Project, an initiative by Basic Movement marketplace, shop at basicmovement.ph.

HA.MU

This mask by upcoming designers Abraham Guardian and Mamuro Oki’s brand makes me smile and I’m sure it’ll inspire the same from everyone who sees you — even if they can’t see the lower half of your face. Part of the Masks for Masks Project, an initiative by Basic Movement marketplace, shop at basicmovement.ph.

PROUDRACE

Designers Patrick Bondoc and Rik Rasos deconstruct masks from their contemporary brand’s deadstock and sample items, so you can wear a mask literally cut from the same cloth as your favorite eclectic and utilitarian Proudrace piece for matchy-matchy realness. Materials vary from cotton, twill, denim and fleece in 10 designs, all with cotton drawstring closure. Part of the Masks for Masks Project, an initiative by Basic Movement marketplace, shop at basicmovement.ph.