Fight COVID with style!

Life is like a movie. It can be drama, comedy, thriller, or rom-com. And luckily, sometimes things happen, that make us believe that we live in a fantasy tale, a sci-fi movie, a technological utopia of sorts. And about one of such things we’ll talk about. Today’s topic is Xypermask, created by famous Will.i.am and Honeywell.

One of the modern realities of life is the extreme importance of face masks in our lives. Recent year was hard, and this one will be no better. So masks are here to stay. Maybe even the whole world will eventually wear them all the time like people do in China. In that case, a mask will be as important for self-presentation as watches and jewelry. Ant the same thought has crossed a mind of William Adams, aka Will.i.am, the founder of Black Eyed Peas.

Last year William took masks further with a mask of his own design. After putting it on he was immediately noticed by Salesforce chief executive Marc Benioff. Their meeting laid a strong foundation for cooperation, and the idea started taking shapes. A few calls here and there, a few cups of coffee, and Honeywell are in. That company, in case you forgot, made over 95 million N95 face masks in 2020. Believe me, partnership with Honeywell means something.

We’ve already seen quite a few masks lately: DIY mask, surgical mask, medical mask, army-rated protection mask, but how is Will.i.am’s creation any different? It is meant to be a fashionable accessory. Plus, it is advanced technically too. You can’t release a new product in 2021 and forget to add Bluetooth or lights. Sounds a lot like what Razr would do, but their development collapsed after a first prototype.

So, this mask. If you compare it to a regular cloth mask, it will be like comparing a spaceship to a paper airplane. The mask has not only Bluetooth, but built-in headphones with noise-cancelling. Ann fans to it and HEPA-filters, and you’ll get the best mask to buy. Perfect for listening to the latest Spotify releases while standing in the line at the grocery. Plus, if you are a musician, you will appreciate the quality of those headphones. And of course, if you want your tracks to be played in those headphones/mask, you better not forget about Spotify promotion. But where was I? Yeah, materials and features. The mask uses the finest mesh fabric and anti-allergic silicone. The powerful fans will not let your glasses fog, or leave any pimples on your skin. 

If you are now standing – sit. Because let’s talk money. The price. Such an offering can’t be cheap, so the sticker price is 300 dollars. But you are not getting only a mask. You get a pair of first-class wireless headphones. Consider it buying headphones with a built-in mask. Plus it just looks cool. There’s no way around it, it looks fabulous. So futuristic yet so real. Well, you can’t expect less from Jose Fernandez. Even if you don’t know this name, you’ve seen his work. SpaceX suit, “Black Panther” costumes, “Avengers”, “X-men”, ring any bells? 

This is not a first time for William to try tech-industry. The first two attempts were not so successful. Bracelet and headphones were too ahead of their time with their design and price. But we are not suing him for trying. And I really think it is gonna fly. Such thing as a mask won’t go anywhere for a year at least, and people, especially Hypebeast fans, will embrace such an accessory. Even with all the restriction-lifting worldwide, masks are here to stay.