Due to the Corona virus, masks are compulsory here in Melbourne right now. But what if the good old basic surgical mask isn’t for you?
It was never going to cut it for me, enter two of Melbourne’s finest couturiers to the rescue. That’s right, masks made by people who usually tailor make gowns for the Emmys, suits for power brokers and red carpet looks.
I thought I’d ask both of them how they made the change from made-to-measure gowns to masks.
Julie Goodwin Couture
“I made a mask for myself, put a photo up on my personal Facebook, and my friends asked about ordering them! Then when stage 4 hit it was a bombardment of requests, so I priced them, made sure I had enough elastic, and off I went.
Now it’s more a steady trickle which is nicer.
I love the process of helping people choose their own fabrics and styles and then hearing back that they’ve received compliments, and that they feel comfortable and a bit special in my masks. It’s still couture even if it is for your face 🤣”
JasonGrech
“I lead a free online MASKerclass when masks become mandatory in Victoria. We shipped over 200 masks making kits (we asked people to cover the express shipping cost and we supplied the fabrics and elastic to make two masks) because I wanted all those in our community to have access to a reusable mask and have the ability to make them for themselves if they were taught the basic tools.
This MASKerclass was very successful but there was a demand from my clients for ready made masks. We added a JasonGrech signature print and block coloured crepe masks to the offering (we set aside 10% of the first drop to donate to an indigenous fashion/art student).
The response to our mask sales were overwhelming. We now offer 4 signature prints in various colours and 9 crepe black colours to our offering and we plan to drop new styles every few weeks. The response has been overwhelming.
I used JasonGrech signature prints from current and previous collections which has helped us keep the masks affordable. We had had many follow up sales which tells me that people are happy to re- invest in our masks after they’ve worn them”
