Mzansi Masks, helping you stay safe during this pandemic!

With our country in lockdown and looking forward to a slight lift on all restrictions, masks are going to become a part of our every day activities, especially when we leave our homes. So finding a mask that is fashion-friendly, one that will do the job of keeping you safe and isn't going to cut off your air-supply. We have you covered, say hello to Mzansi Masks.

Mzansi Masks was born out of a 20 plus year friendship, when one friend asked the other "can we make masks" and the other friend answered "yes, we can" ..... and so they did!

Mzansi Masks is all about creative, protective and hygienic solutions and helping the public stay safe. The company is providing a solution to the shortage of protective gear that is available to South Africans. Mzansi Masks, are not only helping businesses working alongside them, by aiding them during this time of shutdown but assisting the families of these businesses by providing them with protective gear to keep them safe during this trying time, and quite plain and simply, keeping the public safe, by providing a supportive hygiene protective measures all the while supporting the local economy. A truly South African company supporting and working for other South Africans.

The inspiration behind the Company start-up was plain and simply, Need. They saw the coming need for a product during this dreadful panic, they were able to produce and distribute, by pooling together their skills and talents to create, produce, advertise, sell and distribute a product under very trying circumstances.

When we sat down with Lindy we spoke to her about the company, Mzansi Masks she expressed that they created products, sourced materials, labour, opened a website, set up shop and started trading in the heady days just before lockdown! That they had scrambled for resources, essential services permits and other items just as the supply chain was shutting down.

Ambassadors, @nocturnalwenchy and @theheatherhook

They view Mzansi Masks as an example of 'extreme' entrepreneurship, with no time for second guessing!  They have a wide variety of skill sets and experience between the team working at Mzansi Masks. From a fearless entrepreneur, with several businesses and many years of experience navigating the South African business landscape, to a garment industry expert with years of experience in product design, development and creation, production and sourcing who has lived and worked in South Africa and abroad.

Having survived the SARS crisis of 2002/03 in China, this partner has experience of wearing protective gear such as a mask and the protective qualities that are needed from that piece of equipment, as well as the importance of building comfort into the product.

All the materials selected and used, have properties of comfort and protection, for example the company specifically doesn't use cotton products, due to the material's ability to trap and retain moisture in the fibre, making it unsafe and uncomfortable for the person wearing the face-mask for several hours at a time. That is why they only use materials that are quick-drying, and that keep the skin dry and comfortable while limiting the absorption of external moisture onto the skin has been used.

The inspiration behind the pattern choices, (which we love by the way) was that the team

believes that cheerful colours and patterns, make wearing masks more fun. "We provide a variety of prints and colours to allow our customers to personalise their choices to match their outfit, their hair or just their mood. We have also chosen many of our prints to have a South African or African flavour. Our prints keep changing and updating, we seldom repeat prints so it's a great way to build a collection and add a new twist to your accessories for the day." says Lindy.

We know local is lekker and we want to encourage all our readers to support the local brands and start-ups creating barrier masks. "Everything that is used in the manufacture of Mzansi Masks is locally sourced. They strongly believe in buying from South African sources and using South African hands to make their products. This is a time when we all need to pull together and saving businesses and jobs is something we feel very strongly about. We are proud that our small business has helped to support jobs for workers who would otherwise be sitting at home, like so many others, in a difficult and distressing time for many", says Lindy. "Every customer who has bought from us and those who will buy from us in the future are part of this movement to support South African business and bring back the manufacture of our goods to our country, we are able and capable of sustaining our needs."

The team at Mzansi Masks, is a team of two friends, who have very different but complementary skills and personalities. They do however, share the same values and vision and are also very lucky to have a third key team member in Mzansi HQ who is super gifted in the area both founders are lacking, namely technology and e-commerce! The three of them are doing absolutely everything on their own, from sourcing resources, controlling the production, to fulfilling packages and managing the online shop and stock control. This is a startup and its all hands on deck at the moment. They definitely need to add team members to help with the workload, but under lockdown, this is not possible. They also strongly rely on their manufacturer, a small local family run business who are an integral part of the supply chain for Mzansi Masks, and without them they would not be able to provide masks to the public. The product creation was started and created done by one of the founders, based on her experiences of mask-wearing whilst living in Asia, where wearing masks in public has been common practice for years. By adding some charming, South African-flavoured prints, with a broad array of colours, it has given the Mzansi Mask brand, a distinctive personality, that reflects our uniquely South African heritage.

Want to get your paws on a few maks of your own?

Mzansi Masks is open 24-7 and has a wide range of mask colours and patterns that can be ordered online at www.mzansimasks.co.za - it’s a very user-friendly and simple process of shopping online, in a secure and accessible way. 

Delivery costs are dependent on location and the team has worked closely with trusted couriers who have a national reach throughout South Africa. 

Delivery costs range between R60 to R175 and take 1-4 days to reach the customers, depending on location. 

Just a few examples of the prints.

Stocks are constantly replenished and new prints added, but there is high demand, so they encourage all their new and existing customers to place their orders at their soonest convenience.

We thank all our loyal customers for their support of Mzansi Masks and helping to ‘flatten the curve’ together. - Lindy and the Mzansi Mask Team.

For more info please visit www.mzansimasks.co.za or follow the conversation online on Social Media -

Instagram: @mzansimasks

Facebook: @mzansimasks