Local fashion designers aim to thrive in the mask making business
Level 3 expected to make things better for small business owners.
Since the COVID-19 outbreak, the world has suffered not only an alarming health crisis but also, there is a significant commercial impact being felt globally.
We can all agree that most small business owners are having a difficult time earning a living during this global crisis, however, we can also agree that entrepreneurs are creative and always thinking of ways to generate income.
While others saw the opportunity in selling sanitizers, designers, who are among the affected businesses, are using the platform to design masks as they have become a must-have and as we have entered level 3 lockdown in South Africa things might just get better for them since restrictions are now eased and most people are going back to work, thus, the demand for these masks increases. Small businesses may relish the opportunity to make money.
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We spoke to three of our local designers who are in the business of making masks, Mayas Mayas founder, Miahs Moloto, D’neo Creations founder, Dineo Madiehe and KamaliYou founder, Iris Ntshabeleng.
“This is absolutely a difficult time for the entire country especially for us as small businesses, fashion designers in particular because we rely on social events like weddings, matric dances, Durban July and the likes.
“You can imagine how frustrated we are that we basically cannot work at all.
“When wearing masks was declared a must by the government, we sort an opportunity to make masks for our clients as a way of trying to keep our businesses afloat,” said Moloto.
In addition to the struggle, there is also a competition in the industry of mask making as non-designers who are trying to earn a living also took this opportunity to make money.
Another side of the competition is that, it seems like big companies that could be getting masks from these designers supplied to them, have established their own suppliers. Therefore, these designers had to come up with ways to survive this.
“The only problem now is the fact that we as south African fashion designers are faced with the dilemma of having to compete not only with each other (which is good because it’s healthy competition) but we also have to complete with small street exporting cheap labour masks from abroad and selling them close to nothing,” Moloto said.
“Businesses and government are also not giving us the opportunity to produce masks at a large scale for them. Their registering systems is absolutely impossible to go by because it seems as though they have already identified big corporates as their supplies.
Almost as though to say we as small businesses cannot deliver whereas we have demonstrated the ability to mass produce masks in quantity,” he added
“A lot of people are making these masks, so, to make this work better for me, I started a bit earlier before everyone started making masks and I managed to accumulate a satisfying number of clients buying from me saying they preferred my quality, so I guess good quality made it work also,” Madiehe said.
“With the market being so concentrated, I made certain that the masks meet the health requirements as laid out by our health department and World Health Organisation (WHO).
“As a master garment maker, I made sure that they are distinct ranging from customisable to generic masks. I also have affordable pricing taking into account the financial strain,” said Ntshabeleng.
Although designers are known for being creative, this time, they need to do so with caution as there are guidelines in making approved and comfortable cloth masks.
“It’s very difficult to be creative when creating masks because we are guided by government specifications when coming to the make of the mask. I made a bit of research and found that masks with elastic are actually not comfortable around the ear.
“So, I’ve decided to produce masks that ties at the back of the head and away from the ear for comfort while they are safely intact,” said Moloto.
“These masks are almost all the same, my goal was to make sure that the quality is great, the choice of fabric I use is appealing, my masks are made of 3 layers, the outside layer being cotton, the inner layer being Polyethylene which is used in surgical masks and the lining being polycotton and also, that the fit is good too. I read the regulations and made sure that I adhered to them,” Madiehe said.
“All our customized and generic masks are 3 layers. I supply fun animated shield masks, traditional masks with matching head wraps/hats. And soon we will be launching our winter range masks which will aid in promoting the wearing of masks. Also, because the elastic can be irritating, I have designed unique face mask ear extenders which helps ears not to be irritated by the elastic,” Ntshabeleng said.
Level 3 of the lockdown is expected to make things better for small businesses as restrictions are eased.
“I don’t think level 3 will bring a huge change because majority of my clients have already bought masks. The only hope I have is that those people going back to work will now see the need to buy fabric masks in numbers because I am personally looking to cater for corporate design which includes your less more colourful designs.
I am particularly producing black, grey and white masks with an expectation on darker colours for the more corporate inclined clients. It’s important to now focus on making sure that our masks coordinate with our clients’ existing work wardrobe,” Moloto said.
“I believe that level 3 will make things better, because now I won’t be limited to making masks. I can now go back to sewing other things which is much better,” Madiehe said.
“Level 3 will still be “business as usual” because the government has made it a prerequisite to wear masks. However, we are going to introduce extra precautions in protecting ourselves and our clients as now there will be a lot of people exposed to the risk of contracting Covid-19,” Ntshabeleng said.
Please note that fabric face covering does not protect you from getting Covid-19, but it might help prevent you from spreading the virus if you must leave the house.
“We have to make a fashion statement with these masks. We are moving to a time in society where your masks need to match your clothing or else, we are sending fashion police your way. We are making it fashionable,” Moloto concluded.
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