We weren’t planning on doing this…

actually there were a number reasons why I didn’t want KNOWN SUPPLY to jump into making “face masks”. A few of the main ones were:

• Originally the need was much more about personal protective equipment (PPE) for medical staff and we simply don’t have those production capabilities.

• With our fair trade partners in India being closed I wasn’t sure how we would make any new product at all.

• I didn’t want to quickly and cheaply make a product that was not representative of our brand or the mission we stand for.

What changed?

Nothing about this unprecedented moment we find ourselves in is static. It is constantly evolving as we learn more about COVID-19 and heed the advice provided by the medical community that is sharing information on best practices to avoid and slow the spread of this coronavirus.

One of the main guidelines that emerged from the CDC is that we should all be wearing cloth face coverings while going out in public, and many establishments (in Southern California at least) are requiring that you wear a face covering before entering a grocery store or other businesses.

We recognized the need and we also knew we had some amazing materials in our inventory that could be repurposed and made into face coverings (a.k.a. it would mean there would be 2x the sustainability with upcycled fabric, as well as a quality and washable face mask you’d enjoy wearing).

Our VP of Design, Molly, reached out to some of our local partners who help with small sewing projects for us and it turned out that one partner down the street had pivoted it’s operations to keep their employees working, and they were making masks. We came up with our own custom design and you are now seeing the finished product here.

What makes a KNOWN SUPPLY face covering?

3 layers of breathable pima cotton fabric
Upcycled material for sustainability
Providing jobs to neighbors in our community
Quality design you’ll feel good in & actually want to wear to help slow the spread