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Artist-designed face masks are raising money for MedShare

The e-commerce apparel company has released a collection of custom designed face masks, the profits of which will be going directly to MedShare, an NGO providing communities in need with medical supplies.

Even after curves are flattened and people begin to emerge from government-imposed lockdowns around the world, it would appear that face masks are here to stay (at least in situations where physical distancing may be hard to maintain). Tapping into this lucrative market therefore is Threadless, a Chicago-based e-commerce apparel company that’s recently shifted its focus to offering a range of CDC-compliant face masks designed by artists, all with a charitable component.

In a multifaceted initiative to fight Coronavirus that’s a win for creatives who’ve lost income, consumers trying to stay safe and – most importantly – health-care workers on the front lines, Threadless will be donating all proceeds from the sales of each mask to MedShare.

The humanitarian aid non-profit organisation is dedicated to improving quality of life and has made it their number one priority to source and directly deliver medical supplies and equipment to communities in need during the pandemic.

‘When the CDC released guidelines for wearing cloth masks, we knew our artist community would be clamoring to design them and that we could raise a lot of funding for frontline workers through mask sales,’ said CEO and founder of Threadless, Jake Nickel in a press release.

‘Masks are looking to be a part of our culture for the foreseeable future so (we) may as well express ourselves a bit through art and design when wearing them. Plus, our artist community can help make them personal to the wearer, hopefully sparking a little joy during these tough times’

Artist-Designed Face Masks by Threadless Give Medical Supplies to ...

Announcing the collection this week, Threadless revealed that it had commissioned Rob Sheridan, Alex Norris, and Mukta Lata Barua to work on a variety of unique and colourful designs for the masks which were initially added to a small group of artist shops at the beginning of April.

Although the artists selling the masks do have the ability to earn on the sale, a large majority of them are choosing to donate the proceeds to charity. In addition, Threadless is encouraging small businesses to get involved and upload their work to the website with a possibility of being featured.

And following a boom in sales which raised more than $150,000, Threadless has now increased its target to $250,000. ‘We’re approaching 30,000 total masks sold,’ said Nickel. ‘We just surpassed the $100,000 mark on Tuesday. And as of Thursday, we are at $140,000. I think it’s very possible we can hit that $250,000 mark in another week or two at the most.’

Running at an average of $17 each, the one-size fits all masks are reversible and reusable, made with three-ply polyester that is intended to be form-fitting with a built-in wire to lay across your nose.

Take a look at them here if you’re interested, and if you don’t need one but still feel like helping, you can donate on MedShare’s website.

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