The Most Unexpected Trend of the 21st Century

Trends come and go with the seasons, nothing lasts long in the world of fashion. From trends like bare-butt jeans to micro-mini bags, we really thought we had heard it all. Little did we know that a new mandatory trend would arise and would change our everyday lives. 

Fashion brands all over the world are now adding their own spin on masks and marketing it to the masses. Even high fashion brands like Off White, Louis Vuitton, and more are making masks with prices ranging from $50 to $1,000. Men and women now use these to showcase their wealth and status when they get the chance to leave the house. 

The prices of masks here might be laughable compared to an Israeli jewelry company that is working on what it says will be the world’s most expensive mask, a gold, diamond-encrusted face covering with a price tag of $1.5 million. It is pretty unbelievable to imagine someone wearing an 18-karat white gold mask covered with 3,600 white and black diamonds. 

It doesn’t come as much of a surprise that countries are using masks to make a large profit. China is currently producing 110 million masks a day and turning the largest profits off of masks in the world. 

Foreign countries aren’t the only ones profiting from masks, even celebrity brands are now getting involved in mask marketing. Kim Kardashian’s Skims brand is now selling sleek, skin tone masks, of all colors. The brand pushed over $2 million in product within the first few minutes of the campaign going live. Celebrities all over the world are promoting Skims’ masks and their breathable fabric. The company is doubling its revenue daily.  

Masks are not only a way for individuals to showcase their status but also their opinions and views. With today’s social issues and the election coming up, people are choosing to show off their opinions in mask form. Millions of masks promoting the Black Lives Matter Movement (BLM), Women’s Rights, LGBTQ, and political parties are being worn every day. 

Despite the fact that some masks are more controversial than others, companies and individuals are discriminating against people wearing them. Currently, Whole Foods is in the process of being sued due to a complaint over discrimination against employees who were allegedly fired over wearing BLM masks. 

Regardless of these social injustices, these masks are also being celebrated, many wear these with pride to many events and protests regarding social change. Masks are also sparking political debates against Democrats and Republicans, they are an outlet for individuals in a community to either relate or disagree. According to a spokesperson, the trump campaign sold $4 million in mask merchandising in March and April alone. Trump “merch” infiltrates thousands of digital ads daily, the campaign has spent $7.3 million on facebook advertisements alone in the months of April and May. Trump’s urge to keep political rallies marching is no surprise, on the other hand the democratic party isn’t taking much time on the issue. Biden’s campaign has not run a single advertisement in the past 2 months, according to a CBS news review. The merchandise sales ceased during the beginning of covid and are slowly coming back with the proper regulations.         

Showing your thoughts and opinions through your mask doesn’t always have to be serious. People around the world are using masks to showcase their favorite foods, hobbies, sports teams, animals, and even their mood for the day. Some people have found some weird and wacky ways to wear their masks to express their style. Artist Danielle Baskin from San Francisco designed a ‘Maskalike’ selfie mask as a joke solution for people to activate facial recognition software on their phones while wearing face coverings. At first, the whole idea was a joke until she started getting thousands of requests. She has now kick-started her own company and has even come up with other designs including memes and classical art. 

Though this trend might not last much longer, and the days of face masks might be coming to an end, it’s important we keep our face covered for the sake of our country.  Until then, get inspired and go out and find a great mask that expresses your style.