Mask Envy
This story is part of our new series “Mask Envy,” where we showcase San Franciscans’ creativity and take a look at some of the coolest masks spotted around the city. Have a look you want to submit? Email info@thebolditalic.com.
After we rolled out the first article in our new Mask Envy series, The Bold Italic illustrator Nicole Album sent me a message suggesting that I check out the masks by San Franciscan Carlee Daniel. So I headed over to Carlee’s Instagram, and there it was in all its glory: a fringe mask. Yes, yes, all the yes.
In the photo that caught my eye first, I saw Carlee, with a backdrop of plants, in a snakeskin top and green hair—and wearing a black fringe mask reminiscent of a flapper dress. I loved the look, and seeing San Francisco creativity coming out in the middle of a pandemic has been one a few things giving me life.
So I caught up with Carlee to ask her about her creations.
TBI: Hey, Carlee, tell us about yourself.
Carlee Daniel:
I’m originally from a tiny town in the Rio Grande Valley, but I’ve been living in Oakland for the past five years. Pre-Covid, I was working full-time as a bartender at the Battery and had an equally full-time hobby sewing all my own clothes and costumes. I’ve been seriously sewing for about eight years, but sewing has always been a part of my family’s culture. My great-grandmother made clothing for her whole family, my grandmother sewed pants at a Dickie’s factory, and my mom made plenty of our costumes growing up. I’m also an avid gardener and the owner of a really weird-looking cat.
How did you get into making masks?
After lockdown started, I was in the same boat as many of my service industry friends: stuck at home with a massive amount of uncertainty as to what I was going to do next. I slept on my own couch a lot and felt pretty hopeless for about a month until I decided to do something about it.
I’m big on security, coming from a sense of community, so after a trip to the grocery store one day, I decided to give back to these awesome folks who were risking their own lives to keep things moving. I went home, researched a bunch of different mask patterns, worked out the most comfortable one, and showed up the next day with enough masks for their entire staff.
It felt so good being able to help that I made a plan to keep helping. I pulled all the quilting cotton out of my stash and got to work. I wanted to share these comfy masks with folks that needed them, but I also knew I’d eventually run out of material, so I started selling them and using the money to buy fabric to make and donate additional masks.
Since then, I’ve made probably around 800 to 900 masks and donated about 300 masks and additional funds to a number of organizations, like the Village and the Navajo Nation.
Fill us in on the inspiration behind the fringe mask.
I’m very much on board with the idea of being stylishly safe and having fun with something that people would otherwise consider an inconvenience. The inspiration for the fringe masks comes from a couple places. There’s my love of swishy clothing, like western jackets, ’60s fringe dresses, and cabaret ensembles. And of course there’s a nod to Orville Peck, since he was rocking the fringe before Covid.
How can we get one?
Currently, there are two ways to get one of my fringe masks: in person at Heads or Tails Collective in Oakland (1523 Webster Street) or by DMing my Instagram, @wordforworld. I keep photos of all my available masks in my profile highlights, along with pricing and shipping info and current color/pattern options for anyone who wants a custom mask.
Thank you, Carlee!
