Gone were the days when I could leave the house carrying only a few essential items like my wallet, my keys, and my bag. Today, the pandemic has forced us to include an additional item to our everyday carry list—the face mask. Not wearing one is not only dangerous; it’s against the law in Singapore.
I long, however, for the day that this law can be relaxed. Walking around with the smell of fabric pressing against my nose becomes irritating very quickly, and I often find myself patronising kopitiams just so I can take off my mask to breathe in the fresh air.
Therein lies another problem—if I am not carrying a bag, I find myself stuffing my mask into my pocket, which is uncomfortable because I hate sitting down with anything in my pockets. Other times, I place it on the table, which, in itself, is unhygienic and may attract more germs onto the mask.
Enter the mask lanyard—an innovative and stylish solution to this conundrum. The mask lanyard is a piece of string that attaches to the straps of our mask, so you can simply hang and wear your mask as a necklace while you’re eating.They come in various styles and shapes and can be found in many stores across the country and online. Here are 10 shops where you can get your hands on some stylish ones.
1. SSFW
SSFW, short for Summer Spring Fall Winter, is a store specialising in gems and jewellery for women. Their in-trend product at the moment is a variety of attractive mask lanyards (S$9.90 onwards) that range from simple fabric straps to elaborate pieces that can pass off as jewellery on its own.
SSFW: 75 Haji Lane, Singapore 189268 | Tel: +65 6293 3068 | Opening Hours: 11am – 8pm (Mon to Thu), 11am – 9pm (Fri & Sat), 11am – 8pm (Sun) | Facebook | Instagram | Website
2. Inno by Innit
Inno by Innit stocks lanyards that look like bungee cords called the Array Strap (S$9.90) and is perfect for the adventurous type. They have one in every colour, and here are some of my favourites—Zebra for black and white, Candy for a mixture of yellow, lavender, red and blue as well as Tomato, for a shade of deep red.
You can also tighten the lanyard behind your neck while wearing your mask, to reduce the tension from the ear straps on the back of your ears.
Inno by Innit: Facebook | Instagram | Website
3. Hoop.SG
Hoop.SG is a Shopee-based Singapore business that makes their mask chains by hand. There is currently an offer until 21st October—purchase a minimum of S$15 and get S$2 off the total price. All products are also at 10% off with free shipping until 30 September 2020.Hoop.SG: Website
4. Wan Lee
The lanyards sold at Wan Lee kills three birds with one stone—they can also function as a neck choker and a wrist bracelet too. Wan Lee is a Singapore-based jewellery store that creates intricately beaded pieces. The lanyards come as a series named “Summer Days” (S$24), an ode to Singapore’s everlasting summer.
Wan Lee: Facebook | Instagram | Website
5. Maison Q
In collaboration with mother-and-twins partnership luula.co, Maison Q is currently selling handmade and truly unique seashell-inspired mask chains (S$49) that double up as a leash for your shades. A kid-friendly version exists in the form of multi-coloured beads and little smiley faces (S$45) so your child can get in on the trend too.
Maison Q: Facebook | Instagram | Website
6. Really Hate It When
If your style is more practical, you can get a basic lanyard from Singapore-based shop Really Hate It When on Lazada. They sell three pieces at S$6.90, and it comes in six different colours. Nothing fancy though—just a straightforward piece of string to hold your mask around your neck while you eat.
Really Hate It When: Website
7. Tokkiya
Tokkiya is the second Instagram-based business to be featured on this list. They have a wide array of lanyards, with more than 15 different choices to choose from (S$6.90 onwards). They also have deals for multiple purchases of one product—perfect if you’re looking to buy for a friend or partner.
If these dainty creations tickle your fancy, you can place your order via Whatsapp.
Tokkiya: Instagram
8. Le Eclat
From colourful beaded strings to bold, pearl necklaces, Le Eclat sells a wide variety of lanyards (S$12.90 onwards). They have a retail store at Far East Plaza, but lanyards—or Mask Chains as they are called on their website—can be collected at the retail outlet so customers can save on shipping fees.
9. deal_with_us
For a much, much more affordable and less flashy option, here’s our second Shopee entry—mask lanyards from deal_with_us. Their mask lanyards (S$3.90) are the most lanyard-looking out of all the other entries here, and come in 10 different colours. They also have a deal for three pieces at S$9.90.
deal_with_us: Website
10. Maskela
Singapore-based fashion business Maskela is the first pick here—which is ironic, given this is the last entry—that sells double-chained mask chains (S$25 onwards), with designs that range from simple to highly complex.
These mask lanyards certainly look more heavy-duty than many of the lanyards in this list thus far, which could easily be a look you’re going for if you plan on matching your chains to your threads.
Face masks are meant to protect us, but only if we do a good job of protecting them. If we leave our masks lying around on dirty tables, it defeats the entire purpose of wearing a mask in the first place. We might even be spreading more germs to ourselves (and others).
Now is truly a unique time in our lives, where these things are still considered daily essentials, so why not invest in one and be stylish while you’re at it?
