A glam accessory, work for unemployed local seamstresses, and an exciting new venture: Nancy and Barbara’s dream start up making masks.
Lovemymask was founded by Nancy le Roux and Barbara Villa Topple in early April. Their mission is to provide comfortable, fashionable, reusable face masks that people want, or better still, “love” to wear. Nancy and Barbara were early believers in face coverings. In February, when COVID-19 started to spread in London, the popular belief was that masks didn’t help. However, both women who were commuting to the city daily and closely following the developments in other countries (i.e. Italy, Spain), decided that it certainly wouldn’t harm to wear one. “I wore a bandana and a scarf every day on the tube” says Nancy. Similarly, Barbara was never without a scarf over her mouth and nose during her commute.
Once lockdown started, and the Government made wearing face coverings mandatory in enclosed spaces, the women caught up over Zoom and discussed what they could do to help people feel more comfortable when they needed to go out to buy groceries or use public transport. They agreed that if they could create an easy to wear, fashionable, cloth mask as an accessory, people would be more inclined to and happy to wear them. Additionally, they knew the masks had to be comfortable and sustainable. They did not like the idea of single use masks unless absolutely necessary.
Nancy’s daughter, a Wimbledon High School pupil with a textile studies course behind her, created the first prototypes experimenting with different patterns she found online. Based on the feedback from friends and family, the prototypes were adjusted until they were happy with the final styles.
FROM AN IDEA TO A FINISHED PRODUCT
Once the mask style was finalised, they began sourcing unique fabrics. The initial products were bright and funky with a solid colour on the back to make them reversible.
“Our biggest challenge was the elastic!” Nancy says. So many people had started making their own masks and many of the sewing shops were closed, deemed non-essential, and so elastic was a scarce commodity. For comfort around the ears, it is important to get elastic that is the perfect width and made of the right material. Nancy’s husband, an NHS surgeon, was extremely helpful in consulting how to achieve the right fit, especially around the ears.
Lovemymask now offer up to 25 different styles – all 100% cotton and machine washable in 30/40 degrees – to fit different needs, from going back to work to dressing for a garden party. They come with a handy face mask pouch, to store away before and after use and avoid burying your mask at the bottom of your bag. Nancy adds: “We are also offering a bespoke mask service, allowing customers to send in pre-loved ties or scarves to convert into a bespoke mask, as well as creating custom-made designs for special events such as weddings, special parties, corporate events, and so on”. This personal touch has, so far, been a hit amongst Lovemymask customers – if they love the material it’s is created from, they are much more likely to love their mask!
We believe that face coverings are here to stay for the foreseeable future. We want to offer people a range of masks to express their own style when covering their nose and mouth. Our masks are not “medical grade”, but do help protect the spread of germs and meet the government guidelines of covering your face when on public transport or out shopping. Lovemymask is donating one mask for every five sold to the frontline NHS workers, GPs, chiropractors, or anyone who, through their job or activity, is exposed to a lot of people.
Men look great in our masks too
One of our tireless seamstresses
HELPING PEOPLE RETURN TO WORK
Lovemymasks are made by local seamstresses, who range from established local businesses to textile students and furloughed workforce, all being very talented people with a passion for sewing and a keen eye for detail and style. Additionally, our seamstresses have a range of experience and thus have provided valuable advice on the design and fit, which is extremely helpful to ensure the masks are made consistently to a high standard and to ensure that the mask fits perfectly over the nose and mouth and under the chin for maximum effect and protection.
EYE PILLOWS
We have also recently introduced a line of aromatherapy eye pillows. We want to help people stay safe during the day using our face masks, but many are still experiencing high levels of anxiety due to uncertainty and fear. This increases the need for taking time to feel calm and relax in the evenings. Lovemymask eye pillows are made from the same 100% cotton fabric as the masks and are filled with linseed, lavender, and camomile, which have been proven to aid relaxation and sleep. Nancy has been using these for years and vouches for their effectiveness.
Nancy and Barbara are passionate about sustainability and local production. They want to provide work to locally based freelance workers who need additional flexible work and income. It’s also important to keep the production in the UK, specifically in Wimbledon, where the pair are living. They could source less expensive masks made off-shore but that would go against their beliefs in locally made products.
Buying from local businesses not only helps support communities in rebuilding their economies after the struggles of lockdown, but, through responsible production and operating off a small supply chain, positively impacts sustainability. This, of course, goes hand in hand with Lovemymask’s mission of reducing the popularity of single-use face coverings, which often end up in waterways and natural environments.
“Both our families have been very supportive and helpful in getting our venture off the ground, all the way from creating the prototype, modelling, testing and critiquing the masks, photographing the products and taking to social media to spread the word. We are very excited about growing our business and expanding it beyond Covid.”
Lovemymask are available online on www.lovemymask.co.uk, but Nancy and Barbara have been in talks with several businesses in Wimbledon Village and their collection will also be available in selected outlets from 15th June.
