Help finding a custom facemask manufacturer

June 29, 2020 1:52 PM

I'm looking for a manufacturer capable of producing tens of thousands of custom facemasks. Open to all suggestions and resources — including articles about ideal facemask design (e.g., fabrics, shape, etc.)
posted by shrimpetouffee to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (8 answers total)

For fabric, consider cotton + silk, which performed very well in tests.
posted by pinochiette at 3:43 PM on June 29, 2020 [1 favorite]

I’ve seen stuff about this company that used to manufacture school marching band uniforms, which is obviously shut down now. They say they do custom orders, though I don’t know any more about it than what’s in the FAQ
posted by kitten kaboodle at 4:14 PM on June 29, 2020 [2 favorites]

My friend Veronica at Seattle-based Mother Earth Fine Art may be able to help you.
posted by jeffbarr at 5:30 PM on June 29, 2020 [1 favorite]

When you talk about "custom" facemasks, do you mean handmade? I've spent a lot of time researching 3M N-95 availability and it has been super unsuccessful. But KN-95s (the ones made in China) are a decent alternative if you're getting them from a good source that's certified by the FDA etc.

In terms of buying large scale cloth masks, big retail companies are making them in large quantities. Would you be interested in reaching out to them about placing huge orders?
posted by violetish at 5:49 PM on June 29, 2020 [1 favorite]

Vistaprint has masks and specializes in custom printing. No idea of the quality, but I assume they would offer samples.
posted by soelo at 6:58 PM on June 29, 2020 [1 favorite]

Custom Ink
posted by AugustWest at 6:59 PM on June 29, 2020 [1 favorite]

Lots of promotional item companies are probably offering some sort of custom face masks, if by custom you mean a standard design with color choices and the option to add a logo. Just one example. These companies are hurting a lot with the cancellation of trade shows and conferences, so I'd be surprised if you found one that WASN'T offering face masks at this time.
posted by misskaz at 10:05 AM on June 30, 2020 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Wow — thank you, everyone, for such helpful responses!

To clarify what I mean by "custom", in reply to these questions —

When you talk about "custom" facemasks, do you mean handmade?

if by custom you mean a standard design with color choices and the option to add a logo.

— by "custom", I mean printing a design (e.g., logo) onto a standard face mask. It's unlikely to be handmade given that our order/s will be in the tens of thousands.
posted by shrimpetouffee at 11:29 PM on June 30, 2020