As COVID-19 continues to spread, some medical supplies manufacturers have begun seeing success in marketing “fashionable” masks.
Masks printed with designs are becoming more popular in Taiwan and overseas, and have attracted the attention of international pharmacies such as Watsons, China Surgical Dressings Center Co chief operating officer Chang Te-cheng (張德成) said on Wednesday last week.
Masks are now ubiquitous in cities across Asia, and people are tired of their boring, plain look, he said, adding that masks with designs can serve as a type of “fashion accessory.”
Photo: CNA
Chang, who previously worked in the US and returned to Taiwan to take over the family business, shifted the focus of the company from being a supplier for clinics and hospital pharmacies toward the general consumer market, he said, adding that products such as fashionable masks were in line with the direction he hoped to take the company.
Chang advertised at Taipei Main Station and marketed the company’s masks on online shopping platforms such as Momo.com Inc and Shopee Taiwan Co Ltd, he said, adding that his hope was to make it as easy as possible for people to buy them.
Watsons Hong Kong then contacted him through Facebook to ask about selling the masks in their stores, Chang said.
“A manager from Watsons Hong Kong had visited Taiwan and had seen the masks in the company’s stores here, but they did not carry them in Hong Kong,” he said.
Within three days the masks appeared on store shelves in Hong Kong, Chang said.
However, what truly put China Surgical Dressings’ name on the map was its collaboration with Taiwanese singer Jeannie Hsieh (謝金燕) in 2018, he said.
Hsieh wore one of the company’s masks on stage during a televised Lunar New Year event that year, and the company handed out 1,000 masks to audience members, he said.
This year, the company has worked with German fashion label #DAMUR GmbH to expand its brand internationally, Chang said.
Masks featuring the painting My God, Help Me to Survive This Fatal Attraction by Russian artist Dmitri Vrubel were worn by visitors to Berlin Fashion Week last month, he said, adding that the masks served as the visitors’ invitations.
Making colorful masks is not difficult, but successful branding like that his company has achieved is a more significant accomplishment, and one that cannot be simply copied, Chang said.
“Five years ago who had ever heard of ‘fashionable face masks,’ but now we have defined it,” he said.
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