#Mask4All

If not for yourself, do it for them.

#WearClothMasks To protect yourself, others and the planet.

Let's face it, nobody wants to wear a mask. But now, more than ever, our health and safety, and that of our loved ones, is the most important thing we have.

Some countries, like India, where I have spent the last 5 months and counting have taken a more draconian measure to masks and, due to the crowding and population, nearly everyone is wearing them. In the US, with COVID continuing to spiral out of control - masks have become a lot more well received with the majority of people wearing them in recent times. But it became a very political choice. And in Australia, until this week, there was little to no adoption of masks, even in the larger cities of Melbourne and Sydney.

To be totally honest, I wrote this newsletter almost 2 months ago, but chose not to send it out. I have been sending masks to some US customers since then without mentioning or talking about mostly out of fear of being judged. I send them free with all my purchases and I am happy to see that #kopaltribe loved them and appreciated them. 

So now I feel brave enough to talk about it.

Sadly, that the wearing of them became so politicised and at times really aggressive. My tiny voice and this little brand wants add a voice to the issue, to speak up and encourage people to do the right thing and wear them. I think my son must be the only child in Byron Bay, walking around wearing a mask, as I have asked him to wear one and he does it for me. But with increasing cases in Australia and it becoming more "acceptable" around the world, I wanted to add my voice.

Of course I appreciate that nobody really wants to wear a mask, especially if you're trying to dress up and go out, the sheer inconvenience of it and my favorite con – I cant show off my lipstick shade, ;-) but perhaps sadly this is just the new normal of the world we live in, as we progress living with a disease that has no cure and that is such an easy way to spread. 

I am not encroaching on your rights either, and I can't afford to offend or ostracise customers and followers who might think I am challenging them, but I strongly feel after living in an overpopulated country fighting this disease, seeing so much death and doom around. If we have chance to prevent it from passing on to others that are vulnerable and have pre conditioned illnesses we should try it. You could be lucky like some and be asymptomatic and have the antibodies in your blood to prove it but your 55 year your asthmatic neighbor might not, or your diabetic cashier at local super market might not. You wearing a mask can save their lives.

 It is not a requirement, and in most places it is not a law, but it is a small minute act of compassion, and caring, and respect, and awareness and responsibility, that we can all choose to make to help. We are all never more than before in this together, and only together can we get through this.

 

My masks are made using 100% of my fabric off cuts, and will for as long as I have them in stock (which will be a while!!) be including them for free with any non-sale item purchased from me. I am not making them to make a profit. So even if you do not wear it now, or tomorrow, or later in the year, we should all be prepared and ready to do the right thing, when we need to, for the benefit of everyone.

I might have said this hundreds of times over the past few months, but now more than ever - every piece I make, especially the masks, is truly a labor of love for my team. My journey to create these masks, like most of my line, is to create a product with love, reducing waste, is hand made and for a more sustainable lifestyle. 

And please, whether it is my mask, or a medical grade mask reusable, or another designer mask, please consider wearing one – a cloth one to help protect yourself, your family and your neighbour.

• We suggest you hand wash your mask upon receipt
• Since the masks are specially made one of a kind production, they are made from fabric off cuts and as such we will try our best to match them to the fabric of purchase, and whilst we usually can, we cannot guarantee this
• All masks are handmade by our team in India
• Care instructions are for either handwash, or machine wash on gentle and then to lay it flat to dry
• These masks are NOT a replacement for medical grade Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and the use of this mask is not intended to replace other measures to stop the spread of COVID-19
• I suggest washing the mask after a few uses, or more often as you see fit
• A free mask will be included in all new and non-sale items

  Feel free to email us at info@kopalshop.com with any questions or requests and we will do our best to accommodate you.