When the province went into lockdown in March, Nikki Wirthensohn had to unexpectedly close her Narces atelier on Davenport Road. During this time, she was looking for ways to keep her staff employed and decided to begin designing and manufacturing fashionable face masks for consumers and frontline workers.
The pricing of the masks begins at $30 each and goes up to $100 based on the design and materials needed. For each mask sold, the Narces team donates two masks to frontline workers. To date, the company has donated more than 5,000 masks.
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Each mask includes a pocket where a filter can be inserted, though the filters are not included. The masks are made with multiple layers of fabric and can be purchased on the Narces website. Local customers can choose to have the masks delivered through Canada Post, or they can email the team to ask about pick-up options.
The team is currently focused on producing masks to keep up with their donations to frontline workers, but new styles and restocks are announced each week on the Narces Instagram page.
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In addition to the mask donations to frontline workers, all proceeds of all Narces sales for this week will be donated to the NIA Centre for the Arts. The centre is the first Black arts centre in Toronto and is a not-for-profit organization that supports, showcases and promotes an appreciation of arts from across the African diaspora. Donations can also be made directly here.
There are currently more than 30 styles of face masks available on the Narces website in lace, organza, sequin and more.