New Orleans artist and seamstress Emily Macomber made headlines this week for one of her latest creations, though not necessarily for the reasons she probably hoped. Wanting to create a product people would find useful, she created some fancy face masks to sell on her website. So far, so good. The problem comes when you realize that the masks all have holes in them so that you can sip cocktails through them.
- Wait, what? Macomber’s followers all requested that she create and sell her own face masks, especially since many states are requiring people to wear them while in public in the midst of the global health crisis. Macomber obliged, creating 40 masks in the initial run which she sold for $30 each. And yes, there’s a hole in the mouth of each for straw drinking.
- The first masks sold out within 30 minutes. To be fair to Macomber, all of the masks are created out of recycled textiles, which is good for the environment. According to Fast Company, she’s been trying to ramp up production, but given that each mask takes an hour to make, this is a bit harder than you’d think.
- The hole’s not really a hole… kinda. According to Macomber, the straw hole isn’t really a hole because the fabric only really parts when a straw is inserted. “We were thinking of doing a lip appliqué, where it would flap open and close but you’d have to touch your face. I was like, ‘Well that won’t work because you have to touch your mask,” she said. “That’s when I was like, ‘Dude, we just drill a little flap, an extra layer, and you angle the straw to get in. So the hole is never completely open.'”
- Admittedly, this may not be very safe. Macomber admits she’s not a doctor so she can’t speak for the mask’s effectiveness in preventing the spread of illness, but she still stands behind her face masks because “anything is better than nothing” (not a catchphrase that really inspires confidence here!) and that you could always wear one of her masks over one that actually offers some protective benefits. “Variety is the spice of life. If we’re going to be handling different errands . . . this is just one option for one of the variety of errands you’re needing to do.” Is getting sick one of the errands, ’cause girl…
- She does have a point in a way. Macomber believes that regardless of social distancing rules, you’ll never be able to stop people from getting together and drinking with or without face masks. Hole or not, her mask fills a gap in the market and earns her some cash, so there’s nothing else to say. “This is the biggest [disaster] I’ve ever encountered in my life,” she added. “So I’m just rolling with the punches, and trying to provide my clients with what they’re asking for: a mask. This is my take on it.”
