Sustainably conscious online womenswear and maternity wear brands; Baukjen and Isabella Oliver, have partnered with Vermis, one of their long-standing manufacturers in Portugal, to make non-medical masks for personal use, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Collectively known as the House of Baukjen, the two UK based premium fashion brands, are actively encouraging customers to make their own masks, sharing relevant tips on their website and offering offcuts of fabrics as material.
However, if making your own isn’t possible as a final alternative, the company have produced a selection of adult’s and children’s masks to purchase on their website, with the option to buy for yourself or donate the masks to those in need.
In order to make this possible Baukjen & Isabella Oliver have been totally transparent with pricing and do not make any profit from the sales of the masks. They are only covering direct costs from the factory, and from the courier to ship to their warehouse.
After recently donating ventilators to a local hospital, Portuguese factory Vermis have rapidly switched production from making shirts to producing face masks. The masks are made using upcycled, leftover fabrics and cut-offs which have been treated with an anti-bacterial coating for extra protection. The company have currently sold over 300,000 masks thus far.
Masks are sold in packs of 5, including 4 adult masks and 1 child at £25, and to ensure everyone has access to masks, with every pack bought the company will send an additional pack of 5 masks, to share with your neighbours and those vulnerable. There is also the option to buy in bulk, offering packs of 100 to be donated directly to the NHS Volunteer Army, other volunteers and the public. The brand will distribute those 100 masks plus an additional 100 to those most in need. The company will also provide packs of masks to each member of Baukjen & Isabella Oliver staff during this time.
