Virgil Abloh and Off-White have teamed up with the academic medical center the Cleveland Clinic and the Los Angeles-based eco-friendly production shop Suay to deliver new hand-washable face masks. All proceeds from the sales will "immediately" go to the Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Global and Emerging Pathogens.
Designed by both Abloh and Suay, the non-woven surgical masks are hand-washable and can be hang-dried. They were also tested in Cleveland Clinic facilities for safety, and are shipped in compostable packaging.
"Masking is critical to limiting the spread of COVID-19 in our communities,” said Lara Kalafatis, chair of Cleveland Clinic’s Philanthropy Institute. “Thanks to Virgil Abloh and Suay for their creativity and support. We are grateful for their commitment to helping us meet a critical need as we navigate this global health crisis. Thanks, also, to the many people who will purchase and proudly wear this unique face covering. The proceeds from the masks purchases will immediately fund the life-saving COVID-19 research underway at Cleveland Clinic.”
In conjunction with Suay, the entire production process for the masks was eco-friendly. Suay utilizes a combination of post-consumer waste and deadstock integrated with domestically and organically grown fibers in its products.
"In the big scheme of things, projects like these are when fashion is the most important,” Virgil Abloh added.
Virgil and Off-White also made a donation to the Cleveland Clinic along with creating a limited edition t-shirt that reads “I Support Our HealthCare Heroes” that has been donated to its staff.
Masks are available to purchase now on the Canary Yellow website.
