Non-medical face masks you can buy online from brands that give back to communities

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Additional text by: Alyssa Tria

There is no evidence to support that wearing a face mask will protect you from COVID-19. You should still avoid touching your face, washing your hands frequently for 20 seconds using warm water and soap and practice social distancing.

In Singapore, the Multi-Ministry Taskforce introduced stringent measures as part of a nation-wide circuit breaker to break the chain of COVID-19 transmissions since 7 April 2020. The Taskforce has made the wearing of masks mandatory for anyone leaving their home.

As part of the measure, everyone must wear a mask when outside of their homes. This applies on public transport, taxis, private hire cars, walking to or at markets, and also for essential workers at all workplace premises, whether they are frontline staff (such as food handlers, cashiers and bus drivers) or performing back office functions (such as data entry personnel and payroll executives).

Individuals may remove their mask while engaging in strenuous exercise outdoors (e.g. running/ jogging), but they must put it back on after completing exercise. Mask-wearing is not recommended for young children below the age of two for child safety reasons.

Medical experts have also advised that some groups may have difficulties wearing a mask, including children with special needs and young children aged two and above, and we will exercise flexibility in enforcement for these groups.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), we should wear cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies), especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.

CDC also advises the use of simple cloth face coverings to slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others. Cloth face coverings fashioned from household items or made at home from common materials at low cost can be used as an additional, voluntary public health measure.

Cloth face coverings should not be placed on young children under age two, anyone who has trouble breathing, or is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance.

The cloth face coverings recommended are not surgical masks or N-95 respirators. Those are critical supplies that must continue to be reserved for healthcare workers and other medical first responders, as recommended by current CDC guidance.

Here are some brands that are making non-medical face masks (they ship directly to Singapore!) and how your purchase can leave an impact within communities:

Mediacorp face masks | S$48.56 for a set

For National Day in Singapore, Mediacorp has released the winning designs for the ‘Mask for The Nation’ campaign. The broadcaster had earlier on called for submissions for this mask-designing competition, and out of 3,000 entries, three individuals were picked based on their beautiful portrayals of ‘Singapore Together’ theme.

A portion of proceeds from the sales of the face masks will go to the Mediacorp Enable Fund.

Each set comprises an assortment of five designs and one mask pouch.

Individual masks on sale as below.

Asos Design pink floral face covering with pouch & scrunchie | now S$22.99

Match your look with this cute set.

Skinnydip Exclusive 2 pack face covering with adjustable straps in plain white and tie-dye print | now S$25.99

Exclusive to Asos, snag this stylish Skinnydip tie-dye face mask before it gets sold out.

Asos Bandana face mask pack of 2 | now S$22.99

Asos will donate £1 from every sale of this product. Proceeds will go to Oxfam’s Coronavirus Emergency Response Appeal.

Casetify Reusable Cloth Mask - Black | now USD15

From the same company that gave us the UV Sanitizer product for smartphones, comes these reusable cloth masks. The reusable face masks are made with breathable cotton materials, washable, and fitted with a filter to help fight the spread of illness. Comes in colours like blue, pink and white.

Little Mistress rainbow range face mask | now £19

When you buy something from their Rainbow Thank You range, 100% of the proceeds after costs go directly to NHS Charities Together and you help to bring the brand a little closer to that all-important target.

Society6 face masks | starting from US13.59 onwards

Society6 is a platform that features independent artists’ works. Here, you can find multiuse, machine-washable face masks feature designs from their community of artists. Plus, a portion of all proceeds will be donated to World Central Kitchen to help the COVID-19 recovery effort.

Pomelo Fashion Singapore

Shoppers who purchase antibacterial fabric masks for S$9 per pack of 3, with 100 per cent of profits from each purchase going towards crucial medical supplies for partner health organisations, including Singapore’s Red Cross Society and Thailand’s Red Cross. Pomelo has also started manufacturing face masks using fabrics used for apparel.

Zalora Singapore

In conjunction with their 8th anniversary celebration, Zalora will also be donating 10 masks to the Singapore Red Cross with every S$100 spent.

Shop for their limited edition face masks in collaboration with Disney.

Disney

Disney is donating one million cloth face masks for children and families in underserved and vulnerable communities across the U.S. that will be distributed by MedShare (www.medshare.org). Shop for this medium-sized face masks with adorable Star Wars designs.

Designs include the Child, R2-D2, allover Star Wars symbols, and Star Wars characters.

Pre-order for small and large sizes are available on the website.

Everlane

Supporting Feeding America and their COVID-19 relief efforts, Everlane is donating reusable masks for every purchase of their mask three-pack (S$41). Each non-medical mask is made from a double-layer knit fabric and features cotton-Lyrca earloops for stretch and comfort.

Reformation

IT fashion brand from Los Angeles, Reformation, has partnered with LA Protects, an initiative to organize local manufacturers to make five million non-medical masks. You have the options to purchase a five-pack of non-medical mask ($38) for yourself or donate it to someone else who is in need through the retailer’s website.

Uncommon Goods

Uncommon Goods was founded by The Laguna Beach actress Kristin Cavallari in 2017, and the site carries a set of two Rainbow face masks for sale. The rainbow illustrations are designed by team members’ children, aged 1.5 - 10 years old. UncommonGoods are donating 100% of the net profits to NYC Health + Hospitals. Shop the kids’ size here.

Parachute

Home bedding brand Parachute has expanded into face mask production to help those in need. For every customer that buys a pack of five face masks, Parachute will donate five face masks to chosen organisations. While the masks have sold out, you may pre-order on 19 May.

Fanatics

Since pausing the production of MLB player jerseys, Fanatics has been using the fabric to produce single-use face masks that will be donated to state governments and hospitals. According to the Sports retailer’s website, the masks were created to "address the shortage of critical supplies, during the current public health emergency."

Sports fans and customers can also shop 100 per cent cotton masks (starting at $15) on the site to continue repping their favourite teams, like Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Lakers and more.

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