BHUBANESWAR: From designers to the next-door tailors and homemakers, creative people in City have come forward to offer reusable and fashion-forward alternatives to the drab-looking surgical or N95 masks. These are the designer masks, either flaunting off-beat shapes and vivid motifs or promoting Odisha handloom.The ubiquitous accessory, as designers claim, is not just a necessity but can also make fashion statements. Indigenous fabrics like Ikat, Sambalpuri, Passapalli and Khurda Gamucha are being used to stitch masks for the upgrade.
An alumnus of NIFT Bhubaneswar, Akanksha Sarkar and her friend Binoy Munda have been manufacturing around 500 handloom masks in their respective units. “As a designer, I had been promoting Odisha handloom by making fusion wears. Thus, I had stocks of such fabrics. As soon as the lockdown was announced, I decided to make good use of the fabrics,” said Akanksha, who runs her unit from Nayapalli area. Both the designers had been supplying the masks to Boyanika.
These masks have a thin internal layer of breathable and porous fabric, acting as the filter. Double outer layers of the handloom fabrics make the masks attractive. “It doesn’t take more than two minutes to stitch the mask. We have also provided 4,000 masks to a government body,” she said, adding that similar masks and surgical caps were stitched for doctors at KIIMS hospital.
While the cost of a decent N95 mask ranges between `300 and `500, the handloom masks by City designers cost up to `150 per piece. The ones stitched by homemakers or humble tailors are cheaper by `50. Other than handloom, printed cotton fabrics in bright colours are also being transformed into masks. For children, baby masks are being tailored from fabrics bearing prints of cartoon characters, fruits or animals. The cotton masks are priced between `50 and `75 per piece. Homemakers, who pursue stitching as a hobby, are making the cotton masks. “I stitched a few for myself. When neighbours appreciated my effort, I started making the printed masks in bulk,” said Smrutirekha Sahu, a housewife from City’s Gajapati area.
Besides, high-end masks showcasing finer skills and intricate designs are also available. Designer Pankaja Sethi has collaborated with artisans of Danda Sahi in Chandanpur village to make masks bearing Pattachitra motifs. She is also busy making samples of masks adorned with Pipli’s applique work and stitched from Tussar.
Dubbing these as cultural masks, the designer claims to have taken up such projects for helping artisans earn a little during the crisis. “The designs are based on contemporary narratives. They bear a message for the society,” she added.The pattachitra masks sport motifs of fish tails, conch shells and mythological narratives. She has also made contemporary masks, further accessorised with detachable flower. Her sister, Tanuja Sethi is coming up with a collection of masks bearing miniature drawings of endangered species. The high fashion masks are priced around `350.