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Dutch designer Marcel Wanders revamps the air pollution mask

By Rhiannon McGregor 08 : 05 : 2017 Design : Culture : Pollution Market

San Francisco – The collaboration with start-up O2Today is the first such product to be made from all-natural materials, according to the company.

O2 Today mask by Marcel Wanders, San Francisco

As Western consumers become more aware of the risks to health of pollution, there is a growing demand for products that help prevent the inhalation of toxins. Marcel Wanders has designed a woollen mask that uses responsibly sourced materials manufactured in a sustainable way.

‘We created a mask out of a material that doesn’t add to the problem it is trying to solve, the pollution problem,’ says Wanders.

The mask has been designed for daily use and filters 97% of harmful pollutants while still allowing users to breathe easily. Each mask can be re-used from 15 to 45 times, depending on pollution levels.

While pollution masks have been popular in Asia for some time, there is still a stigma in the West because they block certain facial expressions and can therefore be perceived as intimidating.

The Big Picture

With pollution now responsible for millions of deaths a year, consumers are looking for ways to mitigate the effects of this silent killer
Brands such as O2Today and Danish studio Kilo Design have been working to create more approachable design solutions