Before the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic in the country, we were already acquainted to use facemask when Taal Volcano erupted in January 2020. It was the beginning of our consciousness that we need facemasks to protect our lungs from the hazardous particles and gases into the atmosphere, which were transported northward by high-altitude winds and are dangerous to our health.
But the truth is, we need to wear facemask even before the eruption happened.
In Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and China, it’s already accustomed for the people to wear facemask as part of their daily lives. They already know the existing pollutants that are harmful to one’s health, yet we are countless steps behind prior to Taal Volcano eruption and COVID-19 pandemic.
I don’t know if we should thank these calamities and worldwide pandemic because it opened our minds in accepting that we need to wear facemasks if we want to survive and live a life away from possible transmission of virus and inhaling harmful dust particles in the air that we breathe.
And then the government made it mandatory now for everyone to wear facemask when they’re going outside along with other health standard protective gears and protocols.
But before we grab those facemasks, we must know if it is the real deal or followed the mandate of the government agencies handling the health protocols. There are facemasks that are not recognized by the government and are not Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved. You don’t want to spend on something that is allowed and, in that sense, illegal.
As such, wearing a facemask has become part of our OOTDs and fashion getups. It’s not surprising anymore to see people wearing colorful and creatively designed facemask in the streets.
I am glad to share that Kingston X CSD APAC has released its facemask designs right from the winners of its recently held competition. CSD is a leading brand of facemask and is Taiwan’s leading health protection supplier since 1947.
CSD has been creating fashionable facemasks since 2015 and this collaboration with Kingston is the latest in effort to raise awareness that medical supplies – facemasks could be fashionable too. The company intends to redefine and set new standards this way.
And it’s time to share my initial impressions of the following facemasks that made it to the finals.
Doodling Paper, Nguyen Dang Binh (Vietnam)
Nguyen Dang Binh from Vietnam won the Best of the Best Award in the 3-Colors Group and I must say I love his design. His facemask design is filled with funny faces and there’s the ‘hello’ word on it that will make you feel hopeful of what’s going around the world.
His artwork ‘Doodling Paper’ also illustrates what ‘Strength in Memory’ means with nostalgia during his happy college memories through interesting faces. For me, it deserves to bag that award.
Monster Nation, Yman.S (Malaysia)
Yman.S from Malaysia won in the Unlimited Colors Group and it shows in his design. His facemask design shows a cheerful mood with great combination of pastel colors of monsters drawn on it.
Through his design, he wants to incite the spirit of positivity and never-say-die attitude in everyone. He wants everyone to stop being afraid of these monsters. Hence, symbolically, he wants to turn the unwanted monsters into something cute and adorable. The little monsters in his artwork are his ode to the fighting spirit of people and his face mask design will always remind us of it.
With that said, I would not mind wearing this design in public.
Perfect Imperfections, Aljohn M. Matias (Philippines)
Special Award was given to Aljohn M. Matias (Philippines) alongside Lilo Jong (Malaysia) and Teo Sze Ting (Malaysia).
Aljohn used minimalist design to comment on the collective experience of meeting diverse groups of people, and how such differences define who we are. Each artist expresses themselves differently, in their unique way. Aljohn staunchly believes in the power of our memories, and for him, memories are the foundation of our past as well as future. Each face tells us a story and that story lies behind the masks we all wear.
Aljohn’s design showed a Picasso’s line art drawing style and this is a nice approach as he tries to express an accurate meaning behind it. I love it and, going to wear this facemask.
Love Memories Forever, Lilo Jong (Malaysia)
Lilo Jong’s design is probably one of the most colorful and vivid as far as I can tell. The deep-rooted emotion of missing her family is evident in Jong’s artwork, while each storage device from different time periods is used to represent her family members, Jong Pei Yen looks forward to being reunited with her beloved family members, together, just like in her artwork.
Through her artwork, she also reminds people that they are a precious part of someone else's memories somewhere.
Kevin Wu, Kingston’s sales/marketing and business development Vice President of APAC region, said, "We at Kingston have always strived to help our customers preserve and share their memories. We are grateful for all of the submissions and for our creative partnership with CSD, which has enabled us to bring these most personal captivating life experiences to life.”
The initiative gave wings to imagination and encouraged artists to bring their profound as well as life-altering memories onto face masks. The Best of the Best Award winners received USD $5,000 prize money, a trophy, and self-designed face masks. The Special Award winners bagged USD $1,000 prize money each and face masks with their designs will also be mass-produced.
"Over the years, CSD has revolutionized face masks, making them an imperative part of health while adding character and personality into them. The exemplary designs from everyone who entered as well as the finalists truly echo the theme, ‘There’s Strength in Memory.’ It is our honor to see that these unique stories are turned into wearable memories, hopefully spreading positivity to everyone during these challenging times,” added Jonathan Chang, COO of CSD.