Clothing the Pandemic

A Virtual Exhibition of COVID-19 Face Masks from Around the World

Mask and head wrap

During lockdown, Catherine Addai of Kaela Kay, began making and donating masks for hospitals. They were made from her existing stock of rich, colourful Ghanaian printed textiles, called Ankara, that she exclusively uses for her all-size inclusive fashion collections. Customer demand for her masks allowed her to slowly bring seamstresses back to work. She developed dramatic mask co-ordinates, headwraps and collars, as fashion statements to battle COVID-19 with colour and drama, because she believes "Life Is Too Short To Wear Boring Clothes."

Catherine Addai, Kaela Kay, Canada

2020

Designed in North York, Ontario, Canada

Made in North York, Ontario, Canada

Cotton, rotary print

Royal Ontario Museum 
2021.79.2.2 (face mask)
2021.79.2.1 (head wrap)

share

Facebook LinkedIn Twitter

© Royal Ontario Museum