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Spotted: In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, face masks have become mandatory in many places and situations. In an effort to make them feel less medical, Munich-based designer Saskia Diez has designed face masks with detachable silver- and gold-plated chains. She saw putting chains on face masks as a natural progression from having them on reading glasses and pioneered the masks in April 2020. The masks are made from lightweight cotton, and, as the chains are 50 centimetres long, they can be worn like a necklace.

The idea came to Diez after she started sewing some standard face masks made out of old shirts for her family in March, but found that everyone kept forgetting to take them with them. Attaching chains onto the masks seemed the perfect solution — both practical and innovative. Diez made the first batch of masks for her store in April and immediately sold out, before publicising the products on her social channels and becoming flooded with orders.

Diez wanted to keep the production costs low at the start and had initially bought leftover brass chains from her brand’s various suppliers. Currently, she has three tailors sewing the masks, which are prepared in different workshops.

At Springwise, we have recently seen many creative spins on standard face masks, such as the reusable face masks made from recycled plastic bottles and the smart face mask that connects to phones.

Explore more: Fashion & Beauty Innovations | COVID-19 Innovations