Prior to the pandemic, Nepalis wore masks to protect themselves from the dust and now we, all over the world, wear it to save ourselves from the novel coronavirus.

However, there is a big difference from the life before and after COVID-19.

While wearing a mask before was a choice now it is a necessity.

And with necessity comes adaption!

In the new normal, we have adapted to the fact that we can no longer go out without a face mask!

First there were surgical masks, however now people are more into handmade ones which are more sustainable and come in different textures and designs.

During the lockdown, while some started their own homemade chocolates, some started making masks!

Mishu Shrestha, who runs her own designing line, called ‘Mishus’ for women’s clothing since 2012 has introduced her own line of masks made out of different Nepali fabrics after the pandemic.

She said, “To be honest, I had no plans of making masks. One of my friends from the United Kingdom gave me the idea. She asked, ‘Mishu, why don’t you start making masks?’ I did not know how to make one, but I took the advice and made sample pieces at first. And when I sent it to her, she said okay let’s make it. This is good to go.”

 “When I got the green light, I went on and got Nepali fabrics such as dhaka and only after the second lockdown in Nepal, Mishus masks were introduced. We first sold it at Amazon in collaboration with Just Sniffles. I even made designs for different African flags but the collection ‘Pride of Nepal’ designed after Nepal’s flag became a big hit when the CEO of Nabil Bank, Anil Kashary Shah posted a picture wearing it. And now we sell four designs of three-layered masks which are reusable, water resistant and come with two polypropylene filters.”