Face masks are quickly becoming one of the most searched for and coveted fashion accessories, all thanks to the Coronavirus pandemic. With brands including Celine, BAPE, and Disney already on it, and Off-White’s $1,000 mask controversially selling out on Farfetch, there’s much debate on the topic of brands helping the cause or allegedly ‘cashing in’.
There’s also much speculation as to the effectiveness of masks in the fight against coronavirus and whether they’re effective at all, but nonetheless, brands and designers alike are utilising this opportunity to offer up their own version in support of the cause.
With all the headwear hype, one mask that many us may not have expected to see, is the knitted variety; surely too many air holes in there for any real virus protection, for starters!
Enter stage right, Ýrúrarí Jóhannsdóttir, Icelandic knitwear designer, to remind us all what the purpose here really is.
Ýrúrarí was inspired to create hand-knitted masks that actually encourage passers by to avoid the wearer, and abide by social distancing policies. By sticking to her underlying mantra of creating “perilous knits for bodies and spaces”, she has designed these garish, intimidating and monster-like masks that would make anyone think twice before approaching.
The larger-than-life creations are designed to cover the nose and mouth, and Ýrúrarí sticks to previous themes from her hand-knitted garments, including oversized mouths and lips, and striking colour combinations. With mask-wearing quickly becoming a new societal norm, these masks are attention-grabbing enough to remind us why we’re all wearing them in the first place.
Face masks are a visual warning to alert another person to avoid you. Yet, masks are being created to look appealing and fashionable, rather than scary or strange. This use of monstrous, and in some ways grotesque design, is a powerful, purposeful design-led response to the next mainstream ‘it’ accessory, and an important reminder of the functional requirement behind the trend. What better virtue-signalling device to tell the wider community that you care about everyone’s wellbeing, whilst also freaking them out enough to make them stay the hell away from you?
This inspiring, thought-provoking collection is a great example of how you can be creative with knitwear projects during lockdown. Perhaps, if/when medical filters are approved in the fight against corona, they may become not just an artistic conceptual piece, but functional too?
For those looking to experiment with their own knitted face masks, here is a free, simple face mask pattern from The Snugglery.
N.B. The artist explains in multiple posts that these masks are purely created for artistic purposes, not designed to prevent coronavirus, and not for sale.
Moss & Purl 