Lithuanian capital hosts ‘Mask Fashion Week’

Lithuania’s capital Vilnius is hosting an unconventional fashion week to encourage citizens to be creative with the now mandatory face masks amid Covid-19.

The ‘Mask Fashion Week’, which will take place from May 4 to 10, invites Vilnius residents to drive or walk along a prepared route of twenty-one billboards featuring photographs of men, women and children wearing painted face masks, both custom-sewn and surgical. Each billboard is encaptioned with “Creativity Cannot be Masked”.

“Protective face masks have become a mandatory accessory in Vilnius when out in public during the pandemic,” said Go Vilnius, the city’s official website for tourism and business, in a statement on its website. “However, it’s impossible to cover up or mask creativity - life shouldn’t become grey just because of these new rules.”

The project was created accidentally when designer Julija Janus was contacted by a journalist to comment on mask fashion. She then created the Facebook group “Mask Your Fashion” to share tips on how to make face masks at home, to which over 274 people have already responded positively by sharing their own designs.

“A mask is a good way to display your creativity, to express yourself. And it's a good activity to do when you're sitting at home with the kids," said Janus.

As a response to a decline in Covid-19 cases, Lithuania began easing some of its protective measures last month. The country currently has a total of 1,428 infections and 48 deaths.

Photo Credit: PA Images via Pressreview24