Queensland sportswear brand launches lightweight face mask range for summer

Australians “crying out” for lightweight masks as the warmer months dawn has prompted a sportswear company to start a “mass rollout” of a specially-designed face covering.

Australians “crying out” for lightweight masks as the warmer months dawn is prompting one leading sportswear company to start a “mass rollout” of a specially-designed “athletic” face covering.

Queensland-based company SParms started designing V1 face masks at the start of the pandemic in March, which was a hit in America before Australia.

Director Mimi Lee said it was picked up by about 200 Ladies Professional Golf Association golfers in the US.

“They’re in the middle of their summer now so I just reached out to them and asked for feedback on the masks and how we can design them to suit the warmer weather more and just got an amazing response,” she said.

SParms has designed an “athletic” face mask for summer.

She said a new design of their face masks was tailored to athletes, with the covering more “breathable” in summer.

“It’s lightweight and moisture-wicking, with a four-way stretch combined with a motion 3D pattern for maximum comfort and performance,” Ms Lee said.

“It’s designed for breathability – It’s not a surgical mask.

“We’re not claiming that it’s superior to surgical masks, but it’s very sophisticated.

“When we selected the fabrics and layers it was very considered which ones were safe to breathe in, which also had enough layering to kill and prevent germs.”

Ms Lee said she had never received such a response in her 10 years of business after launching the range of masks.

She said the company’s Gold Coast warehouse was manufacturing about 100,000 units of the PPE per week.

“I’ve got pharmacists calling me and hounding me for these face masks – we’ve produced so, so many in the last two months,” she said.

“I think Australians are really starting to catch on that face masks are here to stay for the summer and we’re seeing that in the response.”