People Are Wearing Masks Everywhere—Except in Fashion Lookbooks

Vogue Runway’s critics covered over 250 collections during a summer of digital fashion weeks. Some were IRL events, like Etro and Jacquemus, others were in-person appointments, but most took place on Zoom. While our teams in Europe who attended physical events wore masks, as did many of the designers who videocalled us from their busy studios, only two brands featured face-coverings in their collection imagery: Versace and Raquel Allegra. 

While many fashion brands are producing masks for sale—including many that created resort and men’s spring 2021 collections this summer—the item has not yet found its way into mainstream fashion imagery. Most collections we featured centered on homebound life or true escapism, or else they adhered to a true runway format in which guests wore masks but models did not. Meanwhile, in real life, as COVID-19 continues to spread in the United States and abroad, the mask is becoming the visual symbol of our times. 

“We are not defenseless against COVID-19,” said Dr. Robert R. Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control in the United States, in a report released on July 14. “Cloth face coverings are one of the most powerful weapons we have to slow and stop the spread of the virus—particularly when used universally within a community setting. All Americans have a responsibility to protect themselves, their families, and their communities.”

Versace declined to comment on its masked lookbook, only noting through a representative that the masks are not for sale—at least not yet—and were produced especially for the lookbook shoot. Models don’t wear them in every image, but even the inclusion of a face-covering in a few images from a brand as globally renowned as Versace is likely to do a lot to encourage mask-wearing among the fashion obsessed. 

Raquel Allegra, the other designer to include the protective style in her collection, said the choice to include masks started with function. “Shooting with the masks had to do with protecting Marike [Le Roux, the model,] and protecting my team,” Allegra told Vogue over the phone. It was about “making sure that, to the best of my ability, I could take care of anyone that had come to work on something with me.”