May 18, 2021

The Mask Shop

Last year, 2020 Covid-19 changed the lives of everyone around the world, in so many ways. Loss of family…friends… jobs, and freedom. With the loss there were also some gains, time to create new ventures, cultivate a new skill and gain perspective on life and innovation.

"DONATING MASKS HELPED ME FIND PURPOSE AGAIN, IT ALLOWED ME TO CONTRIBUTE IN A SMALL WAY ."

At one point, the Global Pandemic became so strenuous, the United States was in short supply of Personal Protective Equipment PPE. I stopped working on my activewear brand, and along with many designers and seamstresses throughout the U.S. began making and donating masks to first responders, shelters, and humans who needed them.

At this time last year I felt so lost, helpless and distraught (I am a Fashion Designer, not a healthcare professional and I was feeling like there was nothing I could do to help). Donating masks helped me find purpose again and allowed me to contribute in a small way.

Some time later, many of you asked me to sell you masks, and that’s how ‘The Mask Shop’ was born. I started making you fashionable masks that would keep you safe and chic at the same time. The Mask Shop was created to help meet the urgent need of #masksforall due to Covid-19, and fund mask donation efforts for first responders. For every Mask purchased, I donated one to a first responder or human in need.

Fast forward to over a year later. The United States has caught up on PPE, we now have a Covid-19 Vaccine, and many states are lifting the mask mandate.

I have decided to retire The Mask Shop and redirect my attention back to Ayana Ife Active, my sustainable activewear start-up brand.