See the $300 Custom-Made Facial Coverings That Exist, According to a Brooklyn Tailor

A tailor based in Brooklyn, New York says he has been selling custom-made face coverings for $300 each during the coronavirus pandemic. The CDC now recommends that all Americans wear a face mask of some kind when out in public, and New York City tailor Yosel Tiefenbrun has pivoted his suit-making business to meet that need, according to a report by The New York Post. His bespoke cloth face masks can range from $50 to $300 depending on the style.

Tiefenbrun was doing steady business making custom suits that sometimes cost as much as $8,000 before the coronavirus pandemic hit. While many business owners are struggling, the 30-year-old fashion designer has found a way to continue making money — high end face masks. Tiefenbrun offers some generic cloth masks for $50 each, but the customized ones cost $300, and require a video chat meeting with customers to design.

“We have to keep safe, but if you’re going to wear [a mask], you might as well wear it in style,” the tailor said. “You want to look good in it.”

Tiefenbrun’s most expensive masks are reportedly hand-stitched, and include designs and patterns worked out between the tailor and his clients. He and his staff previously worked a total of 80 hours on each custom suit they made, but now their business has slowed, consisting mostly of fine mask-making.

Tiefenbrun is a rising star in the fashion scene, especially in New York, where he was profiled by GQ back in September. He was born in the city but was raised in London, and later studied to become a rabbi in Singapore. After that, Tiefenbrun studied at the Savile Row Academy to become a tailor and relocated back to New York City.

He is not the only fashion icon working on masks these days. Designers from around the world are looking for ways to make the most of this new necessity, with many expecting masks to remain a part of everyday life indefinitely, even after the coronavirus pandemic has passed.

Here in the U.S., even reality star Kim Kardashian has produced a line of high-fashion masks, which are made in five different shades that are meant to match the wearer’s skin tone, so that the mask blends into their face. Kardashian calls them “seamless” or “nude” masks. Unlike Tiefenbrun’s work, however, they are available for $8 each. For the latest information on the coronavirus pandemic, visit the websites of the CDC and the World Health Organization.