Australia's embrace of face masks uncovers entrepreneurial spirit

For years, Haruka Nishiyama - a self-employed artist in Melbourne, Australia - made her living selling handcrafted items of clothing, jewellery and bags. These days, Nishiyama, who is originally from Japan, can hardly keep up with orders for reusable face masks that are suddenly in high demand to help stop the spread of Covid-19.

"I would rather make something people need, and I thought masks with my colourful style would be uplifting and help people to cheer up," said Nishiyama, who moved to Australia from Mie prefecture about seven years ago. "That was why I started it."

Nishiyama is among the entrepreneurs stepping up to meet a huge surge in demand for masks in Australia following a sudden shift in official guidance and attitudes about their effectiveness. Like Nishiyama, many share a common experience or family history in East Asia where mask-wearing has long been seen as a common sense measure to help halt the spread of disease.

From a trickle of orders before this week, Nishiyama, who works by herself, now sells about 20 masks priced at A$20 (US$14) apiece each day.

"It was very obvious that masks would be in high demand since the beginning of [Covid-19], but I didn't want to take advantage of this unfortunate situation at first," Nishiyama said, adding that she donates 20 per cent of her sales to charity. "I took a very long time to think about why I would do it, and how I would do it."

Like many Western countries, Australia was slow to embrace face coverings, and authorities until recently insisted they had little benefit for most people. Masks also carried a stigma following reports of assaults and incidents of verbal abuse against Asians who covered their face while out in public.

Zara Lim recently received 200 orders for her face masks in a single day. Photo: Handout alt=Zara Lim recently received 200 orders for her face masks in a single day. Photo: Handout

But a massive resurgence of cases in Melbourne and the surrounding state of Victoria since the start of July has dramatically shifted perceptions. After apparently having the virus largely under control, Victoria has seen infections surge more than threefold since July 1 to more than 7,200 cases.

The state, which had begun easing restrictions in June only to reimpose a six-week lockdown earlier this month, is now the location of more than half the total coronavirus cases in Australia.

On Wednesday, face coverings became mandatory in public places across metropolitan Melbourne. The move by state authorities came after the federal government last week began recommending masks for people in areas with community transmissions and where social distancing is difficult, while cautioning of the continuing need for social distancing and other precautions.

Zara Lim, whose one-woman fashion label Edward Kwan specialises in bow ties, neckties and pocket squares, has been so inundated with orders for masks since the announcement of the regulations that she has had to temporarily pause her business.

"I actually started selling my masks back in April, but sales have just gone crazy since the government made them mandatory on Sunday," said Lim, who recently received 200 orders in a single day, compared with a couple a week in June.

Lim, who was born in Australia but has family in Singapore and regularly visits the city state, said she saw the opportunity to take her business in a new direction early on due to her familiarity with Asia's mask culture.

"Being of an Asian background, I knew that the reason people do it is so they don't spread germs," said Lim, adding that many of her friends in fashion, including Anglo-Australians, had recently begun making masks as well. "Until now masks were just a really foreign thing, and if we'd see overseas Asians in the city wearing masks it was a bit weird - it would be unusual for us. Australians have never worn masks."

Lim, whose grandfather runs the renowned Wai Cheong Tailors in Singapore, said she believed her masks were popular because they were also colourful and stylish. "I think people want to look nice as well, not just wear a surgical mask," she said.

Fei Fei Carija estimates that she has sold about 1,000 masks and given away 200 more so far. Photo: Handout alt=Fei Fei Carija estimates that she has sold about 1,000 masks and given away 200 more so far. Photo: Handout

Fei Fei Carija, who officially opened her store Mask Maiden last week, originally started making masks for free for family members and essential workers in March after her in-laws contracted Covid-19 on the Greg Mortimer cruise ship, which was stranded in Uruguayan waters in April after being refused permission to dock.

"In that whole time, I felt pretty scared, and I felt useless," said Carija, who is from a Chinese-Malaysian background and immigrated to Australia as a baby. "My parents work for the postal service in Perth and they're both vulnerable people. I wanted to do something to give back to people like my parents, like my in-laws, to make sure they're safe and to stop the spread of Covid-19."

Carija, who was laid off from her job in administration due to the pandemic, said she had been getting ready to wind up her charitable venture when the second wave of cases arrived and she saw a business opportunity.

"Considering I was fired from my job in March just as the pandemic hit, this is somewhat a miracle for me," she said.

The mother of two, who typically works into the early hours, estimates she has sold about 1,000 masks and given away 200 more so far. Public interest has been so strong that she has employed five people to help with sewing.

While Carija does not attribute her belief in the benefits of masks to her background, she is glad that Australia has finally come around to the Asian way of thinking.

"Wearing that mask makes all the difference, it makes the difference between being able to sit next to someone, and not being able to be near them at all," she said. "I'm really glad that the Australian public has embraced mask wearing. It is vital for our health."

This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

Copyright (c) 2020. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.