A Fashionable Mask: Branded Value Proposition during the Coronavirus Pandemic

Abstract

The coronavirus pandemic has changed not only the social, economic, political spheres of nations, but also fashion industry, having to cancel fashion shows. Fashion brands started offering value proposition changed under new conditions to give the value to their customers with changing needs. A lot of fashion brands follow their pandemic sustainable business strategy to help medical staff with masks, gowns, and sanitizers for free, to donate to medical organizations, coronavirus research in Universities’ laboratories that also increases their EVA. A mask takes mostly two functions – utilitarian and emotional, i.e. new technological and fashionable part of the mask production/consumption. There are creative ideas in mask making by technological brands like a self-cleaning mask, collaborations of high-tech companies and fashion industry representatives like hijab-wearing masks for Arab medical female staff, fashion brands creating fashionable masks by using double sustainable business strategy like cutting masks from vintage clothes and donating from proceeds, popculture brands creating masks with their branded themes, fashion brands creating cloth masks made of the latest trends, artists creating unique masks using artisan techniques, a technological and fashionable mix like face-recognition masks, and also politicians setting up mask trends like the Slovakia president to have the mask matching the look in color or Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary to promote indigenous print on a mask. The fashion brand analysis shows that the value proposition is based on value increase in EVA during the coronavirus pandemic, because they understand the necessity of sustainabile business strategy to gain the longer-term customer loyalty.