A New Zealand fashion label which was only established last week has sold out of its limited-edition face masks and has orders from the U.S and the U.K.
By Mischo, founded by Ayla Bligh, was created to provide herself and five other women in the New Zealand fashion industry who have been recently made redundant due to COVID-19, work. The label now sells up to 50 orders an hour for their limited-edition face masks.
“I reached out to others in the fashion industry via trade community groups and was able to connect with a number of seamstresses who were looking for additional work as the rest of the industry has been hard hit," said Bligh.
“Like most people, I was shocked to hear on the news that 90 percent of the 11,000 redundancies in New Zealand due to COVID affected women. So from the start, I wanted By Mishco to be about empowering women who, like me, had lost their jobs."
By Mischo has face masks that are developed accompanied with accessories to help reduce the stigma of wearing a mask.
“The ethos behind the label has been to offer a product which is both fun and fashionable, and we are helping to do this through selling accessories like hair scrunchies which match the masks - making wearing them a bit more lighthearted."
Bligh's knowledge of the fashion industry has allowed her to understand the different materials she can work with - thus, choosing the most effective materials for face masks.
“I have seen a number of people using quilters cotton which is a hundred percent cotton, which can be a bit stiff and uncomfortable to wear against your skin. This is the reason we went with a cotton-linen blend which is both soft and functional for the consumer."
