ROWING BLAZERS LAUNCHES FACE MASKS

If your face mask isn’t preppy enough for you, don’t worry – Rowing Blazers has started producing masks in its workshop in Manhattan’s Garment District, using leftover scraps of blazer, suiting, and shirt fabric.

“Since the magnitude of this global crisis started to become clear, we’ve been doing everything we can both to protect our workers and our own small business, and to give back to those in need and those on the frontlines helping to fight the pandemic,” said Jack Carlson, founder of Rowing Blazers. “We’ve wanted to make masks for several weeks now, but logistical, health and safety considerations prevented us from doing so until now. So instead we made a donation to Save The Children, and earlier this week we joined Brands x Better – a coalition of brands united in an effort to give back to those affected by COVID-19 (now through May 1st, we’re donating 10 percent of proceeds from all online orders to Direct Relief). But making these masks is the most exciting step we’ve been able to take. We are donating some directly to workers at NYC’s Food Bank, and the rest are available on our site now, either to purchase or donate.”

Carlson has undertaken other efforts to upcycle scraps of unused fabric in the past — using small pieces of “wastage” that would normally be thrown away after a production run to produce its American-made “End-of-the-Day” rugby shirt program.

“I’ve always been a big advocate of using the leftover scraps of fabric from anything we make,” added Carlson. “As someone who came into this industry from a completely different world (sport and academia), I was horrified to see how much waste the industry produces. So as soon as we had the green light to start making masks, I knew exactly what we were going to do.”

Rowing Blazers masks are made in New York and available in madras patchwork, Gordon and Black Watch tartan, Italian wide wale corduroy, Japanese Oxford shirting, club, and rugby stripes woven in England, seersucker, and the brand’s signature croquet stripe at rowingblazers.com.

Editor’s note: The masks sold out almost instantly at the time of launch. The brand says it will restock as soon as they can.