Pleated Pattern Face Mask & Carrying Bag
Pleated Pattern Face Mask & Carrying Bag
In stock
SKU: SKU: SK-169685
Each double-layered face mask is patterned in colorful cotton fabric and topped with soft ear loops made to stay put! Handmade by skilled artisans in India, this vibrant face mask comes with a carrying bag so your mask is easy to locate and ready to use when needed.
- 100% cotton
- One size fits most
- Double layer
- Filter pocket; filters not included
- Machine wash warm, tumble dry low
- 8" L x 2.5" H flat (20.3 x 6.3 cm)
- Drawstring bag: 4.75" L x 3.5" W (12 x 8.8 cm)
- Handmade in & fairly-traded from India
Artisan Information
Artisan Information
"Everyone is proud of me! I am proud of me!" proclaims Surliamma, her family's main wage-earner since the death of her father in 2002. She overcame a hearing impairment and having only a 4th grade education to become a working artisan, thanks to the training and employment offered her at Blue Mango Trust.
Blue Mango has grown from four women with treadle sewing machines in an old silkworm shed to a successful, sustainable business run by and for marginalized women in southern India. The women undergo transformation, like the mango that has a blue tint before ripening to a sweet golden yellow. The use of recycled materials in their products symbolizes their ideals: to find usefulness in cast-off things.
All profits are reinvested to improve business and the quality of life of women like Panchavaranam, part of the Blue Mango "family," as she calls it, for over a decade. Widowed at 20 only to lose her newborn daughter to pneumonia a year later, Panchavaranam did not know where to turn. She found work and training at Blue Mango in 2005. "Decisions are based on our needs... they bought a bus because it was difficult to get to work; started free yoga classes because our bodies were tense from the machines. We were not eating well so they created a subsidized canteen for only 4 rupees a meal...In the midst of all my sadness, I have found some peace here."
Nagarathinum learned the value of education soon after her dad died. Dropping out of tenth grade, she worked the fields for years to care for her disabled mother and four siblings, eventually coming to Blue Mango. Now her daughters enjoy the Homework Center; her oldest dreams of becoming an engineer, perhaps by qualifying for scholarships Blue Mango awards to employees' children. "I just want my kids to get a good, steady job because life is too hard without one," she says.
Shipping
Shipping
This product ships to the United States and international. Expedited shipping options are available for addresses within the United States, unless total order weight prohibits.
Returns
Returns
All sales of this product are final -- we do not accept returns or issue replacements unless there is a defect with the product. Please review our Returns & Exchanges policy.
Important Info
Important Info
We are committed to donating 3,000,000 masks to protect our frontline heroes! Learn More. Per updated CDC recommendations, doubling face masks, using both disposable and reusable together, can help reduce virus transmission. Face coverings like this one are intended for personal use in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies.)
What Donna G. said except I only have 2 - green & fuchsia. These are for smaller faces without being child-sized or stingy on fabric top-to-bottom. They look tiny but the pleats open out to cover nose and chin just right. They have an unusual filter pocket you might not even realize is there. A bit tricky to get a filter in but works well. The ear loops could be just a tiny bit bigger, but elastic always stretches. Blue Mango Trust is one of my favorite artisan groups. I greatly appreciate these women who care for each others needs, focus on recycled materials, are strong in spirit, and display a determined work ethic against daunting circumstances. And they're passing all that on to their children! Oh, almost forgot to mention every product purchased from Blue Mango has been top quality.
I love the 4 masks I purchased. Three are fun patterns that garner compliments, and one is plain blue for "formal" occasions. The quality is tops with fine stitching, cloth covered ear loops and a storage bag which will keep the mask clean in my purse or make a nice gift. The soft fabric washes well and dries in no time. The masks are a good fit for my small woman's face with no adjustments needed. Consider offering a larger masks for larger faces or those trying to cover a beard. I'm sure the women of the Blue Mango Trust can make them.