SOUTH WEST COMPANY KEEPS PUBLIC SAFE AND STYLISH WITH RANGE OF UK-MADE FACE MASKS

As lockdown restrictions are eased, a Bristol-based manufacturer is helping people to stay safe while looking stylish – with fashionable face masks.

New guidelines issued by the government this week (Monday, May 11) suggest people should wear face coverings in enclosed spaces where social distancing is not possible, such as at workplaces, at shops, and on public transport. 

Branded garments specialist Badge Design has a range of off-the-shelf designs to suit most tastes: pretty, colourful, or playful. It makes smaller masks for children and its Maskulinity range features camouflage and skull designs for customers who want something more edgy. 

The firm even offers masks decorated to the customer's own design. The minimum order of 25 for bespoke garments is ten times less than the 250 required by many suppliers.

And as the masks are made and printed in Bristol, the garments can be dispatched within days, while suppliers sourcing masks from China are struggling to get orders to customers before mid-June.

Managing director Grev Leigh spent a month working on prototypes that were effective against coronavirus, comfortable to wear for long periods, practical in design, affordable and act as a two-way wall against giving or receiving the virus.

The washable polyester masks are stitched with a pocket into which particle filters can be inserted. 

The PM2.5 filters, also supplied by Badge Design, block particles as small as 2.5 microns in diameter – a quarter of the size of the dust or pollen particles caught by DIY or allergy masks – and offer two-way protection, keeping both the wearer and those they come into contact with safer.

"We are the only company supplying a fit-for-purpose, and high-quality re-usable face mask with bespoke branding at such low quantities, which can be worn comfortably for long periods," said Grev.

"As restrictions are loosened, one of the most effective ways in which people can keep themselves and others safe – whether they are at the shops, using public transport, or at the workplace – is to wear a face mask. 

"For a while face masks are likely to become part of 'the new normal', but there's no need for normal to be boring. Like any accessory, these face masks can be an extension of your personality."

Badge Design uses a technique called sublimation printing to apply inks onto the fabric using a heat press. Unlike transfers and screen print, the finished result is breathable, non-toxic, and permanent.

One of its most popular masks is the vibrant blue and rainbow decorated Thank You NHS mask, and Badge Design pledged to donate 50 percent of the profits proceeds to NHS charities. 

Thank You NHS masks cost £10 each. Bespoke printed face masks are £6.80 per unit for minimum order of 25, coming down to £3.60 per unit for order of 10,000 or more. Sought-after PM2.5 five-layer filters are £10.80 for pack of 20.

And the company – which currently has the capacity to make 5,000 masks a week – is offering a discount to charities, care homes, emergency services, pharmacies and GPs’ surgeries.

For details, visit www.badge-design.co.uk