It looks like we're in for another very hot summer. Yet most people walking the streets of Tokyo, even when temperatures are above 30 C, are still wearing face masks. This is likely not a temporary situation, but set to become part of the new normal during days of the novel coronavirus.
In a way, you could say masks are a new fashion item.
There have been cries of distress from the cosmetic industry that lipstick is not selling well because everyone is wearing masks. Sales are sharply dropping for mouthwash and chewing gum as well.
Sharp Corp. and other companies from outside the mask industry are entering the market. Sports gear companies have produced masks that are suited to various activities, with such features as good breathability or being made from swimsuit material.
Wacoal Corp., Triumph International (Japan) Ltd. and other inner wear manufacturers have produced washable masks with good breathability and masks made of the material used for bra pads, which retain their shape well. Both have proven very popular. Wacoal has even started producing 200,000 masks per month at its factory in Thailand.
Apparel makers, struggling with severe financial difficulties, are working hard to produce and sell masks with various useful features. The unit price of each mask is low, but, unlike apparel, masks are consumable items -- some people use two or three each day -- which apparently appeals to the apparel industry.
Adjustable masks available through the online store of Sanyo Shokai Ltd. are made with a draping technique and feature excellent workmanship. They have beautiful silhouettes and come in a variety of colors and patterns, a clear sign they were created by an apparel maker.
The first bunch of masks sold out quickly. So did the second, which went on sale June 18. Some of those were made with UV-blocking fabric or material that is cool to touch, and cost 900 yen each.
Long lines of people formed to buy Uniqlo's Airism Mask. Fast Retailing Co., the ever-strong operator of Uniqlo, continues to perform well. Fast Retailing put the masks on sale to attract customers when the company opened Uniqlo Harajuku and Uniqlo Tokyo in June.
As summer approaches, masks that feel cool are becoming more popular than nonwoven fabric masks. The share price of Cox Co. doubled in just three days thanks to sales of such masks, which feel cool due to processing with the chemical compound xylitol.
Cox Co. is a listed company on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's JASDAQ market. A subsidiary of Aeon Co., Cox has 238 stores across the country, many of them inside Aeon Mall and Aeon Town shopping centers. However, Cox has been in the red for the past three years, making it a burden to Aeon.
Since April, however, Cox has been enjoying a welcome spring. The company's first self-produced mask, called "Yawa [soft] mask," went on sale on April 2 and was welcomed by the public. It also had a hit with its second series, called "Pita [perfect-fit] mask" which sold for 400 yen each.
Reservations started June 1 for Cox's third offering, "Hiya [cool] mask," at 600 yen each, which was its biggest success to date. Aeon announced on June 10 that it would sell 5 million Pita masks and Hiya masks. Aeon must feel like its prodigal son has finally made good.
Thanks to its masks, Cox's share price nearly doubled from 195 yen on June 9 to 370 yen on June 12. The rise is supported by the secure feeling that Cox is part of the Aeon Group, and it must be great for the company knowing that it established a reputation as "Cox, a mask producer."
Now that masks will be here to stay as a necessity of life for a long, long time, it will be interesting to keep watching what kind of hit products will appear and which companies will make it big in the mask market.
Miura is the editorial adviser of WWD Japan.
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