Masks Becoming Fashion Accessories in COVID-19 Era

SEOUL, July 6 (Korea Bizwire) — With face coverings becoming ubiquitous due to the prolonged outbreak of the novel coronavirus, an increasing number of people are showing preference towards colored masks as a fashion item.

The color of disposable masks is evolving from white and black towards pink, purple and yellow.

At South Korean online communities, many comments related to color masks have been uploaded.

If “color masks” are searched for on portal sites, more than 20,000 results can be found. The number of “color mask” hashtags on Instagram is also estimated at about 1,000.

Some netizens say colored masks are gaining popularity as a fashion item in this era of COVID-19.

Experts suggest that masks – which have become a required part of attire in this era of coronavirus – will likely become a fashion accessory that helps to express individual taste or identity.

“Amid the prolonged outbreak of the coronavirus, masks, which have become a must-have daily commodity, are being positioned as a fashion item which helps individuals express their identity,” said Choi Hang-sub, professor of sociology at Kookmin University.

“A wide variety of color masks are likely to catch on among young Koreans as small batch production is available via social media markets.”