With air pollution levels spiking to hazardous levels during the winter months, Delhi may soon go the Beijing way, where breathing masks have become a way of life. In India, the international company Vogmask is set to launch a limited edition of designer masks made by globally-acclaimed Indian designer Manish Arora this month.
The high quality pollution masks will be available in five designs, each in colourful paisley and geometric prints from the designer's Spring/Summer '16 Collection. Arora is famous for using eye and face masks as accessories in his fashion shows, and had even presented these breathing masks to his audience during the Paris Fashion Week in October.
Priced between Rs 1800 and 2800 or $27 and $42, the reusable masks can be washed and are available in several sizes for adults and children. Apart from the attractive design, their advanced filter mechanism is said to remove particulate matter as tiny as 0.3 microns, one-eighth the size of PM 2.5.
“Vogmask has always been about fashion and function," Jai Dhar Gupta, director, Vogmask South Asia, says. "We believe that this partnership will further public awareness in India and the rest of the world on the pressing issue of urban air pollution”.
While Beijing has been making international headlines for its hazardous smog during the Paris Climate Summit, Delhi, the world's most polluted city according to a WHO survey last year, has also been facing high pollution levels throughout November.
The situation is equally grim in other Indian cities. According to a 2015 WHO report, 13 of the world's 20 most polluted cities are Indian, such as Ahmedabad, Patna, Gwalior and Raipur. It also has the second-largest number of deaths caused by air pollution behind China.
Cheaper, but less effective breathing masks are freely sold in the Indian capital. With rising reports of respiratory cases with the onset of winter, doctors often advise vulnerable groups such as children to wear masks. In June, Delhi Traffic Police personnel were given special filtered masks to protect themselves from the city's toxic air while on duty on the streets.
Last week, many of the runners participating in the annual Delhi Half Marathon came equipped with breathing masks, to shield themselves from the smog enveloping the city.