Given the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recent recommendations regarding the wearing of cloth face coverings, we have already seen many individuals make use of them on their various ventures. While homemade face masks efforts are perfectly acceptable in the battle against COVID-19, individuals who are looking to sport more noticeable creations can call on musicians, businesses and brands as allies in their social distancing plans.
The promo world has thus far yielded many merch reactions to the coronavirus pandemic, with proceeds being a huge aid to relief efforts. As the health crisis has intensified, those who have issued goods have done so with mostly altruistic intentions. Now, during what many experts have deemed a crucial time for the U.S. to stage a fierce stand against the disease’s advance, there is no shortage of accounts of people who are blending concern for the public with interest in sustaining their own livelihood.
In the music realm, Megadeth and Thursday are among the many bands that have struck a chord with decisions to offer their fan bases branded face masks, with the former sending coverings featuring their Vic Rattlehead mascot on them and the latter repurposing merch to create masks, the proceeds from which will go toward making additional germ blockers.
Megadeth fans: they are offering a pair of limited edition shirts, with a portion of proceeds going to https://t.co/2o1P3tD13f, each with a free Vic Rattlehead face mask! https://t.co/thSSwAld9D pic.twitter.com/Tue3I5YXPR
— Metallica: Speak N’ Destroy (@SpeakNDestroy_) April 4, 2020
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-qMvjbhjbP/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Also, The Hard Times, which has won satirical immortality for its music-centric articles, is making double-layered cloth masks out of its new shirts. The publication said it will use the fronts of the shirts to create masks fans can purchase, while also creating masks from the backs of shirts that it will donate.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-iOlwdhyZI/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Elsewhere, we’ve seen a boom in streetwear masks, with brands like Bape and Off-White offering their own styles, and several fashion brands getting in on the action. Smaller businesses, including breweries, have also begun offering masks or other face coverings.
We certainly hope that the pandemic slows soon, but with no definitive timeline to consult, it is likely that other entities known for branded merchandise will join the mission to eradicate it. It makes sense for musicians to enter the fight because of their reliance on merchandise and the ease with which they can appeal to buyers. Along with such artists, apparel brands resound as another easy contributor, and they have become so.
The products are proving some source of solace for purchasers, and since COVID-19 has altered most perceptions of normalcy in the commercial sense, there will likely continue to be more musicians, fashion figures and famous folks from various walks of life issuing branded goods, particularly face masks, as their way to rally us together in the face of such unprecedented danger.
