There have been lots of pivots for Bella+Canvas since starting as a garage screen printer in 1992, but none as big as the one that now has the company producing 100 million fabric face coverings a week. In just the last couple of months, Bella+Canvas has partnered with 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, co-founder Danny Harris was on the Larry King PoliticKING Show, and even Arnold Schwarzenegger was biking around LA with a “We’ll Be Back” mask on — all raising awareness for a new direction away from fashion T-shirts. That’s pretty heady stuff in such a short period of time.
I reached out to Chris Blakeslee, Bella+Canvas president, to see how they were handling it all. “Gratefully. We’ve been incredibly blessed from the beginning of this crisis. First, with an amazing team of people who quickly figured out how to create a no-sew facemask which could be mass produced in the hundreds of millions. Then, we’ve had so many great partners like the ones you mention who’ve helped us get masks to people who need them. With all the fear and uncertainty, it’s been the proudest and most exciting period in our history as a company. Our goal was to make a difference. The industry has transacted hundreds of millions in revenue from these masks and every day we receive ‘Thank Yous’ from small business owners who’ve managed to survive — in part because of our product. It doesn’t get any better than that!”
Bella+Canvas has committed to donate 1 million masks to agencies working with the homeless, with a commitment to a total of 5 million masks. The promo industry has several great suppliers giving back, but this initiative seems particularly aggressive. “Well, at first, 1 million seemed like a good number — a significant quantity to donate to help those in need,” Blakeslee said. “But very quickly it became obvious the need was much larger and that we were the only company in position to help in a big way. So, we just continued to say yes to requests for help and support and realized the number would easily stretch to 5 million. It’s actually a lot of fun! Frankly, this effort was enabled in large part by our customers because their demand and purchases were such that we could afford to continue to increase the donations. Their purchases have allowed us to continue to help, so we are very thankful.”
There has been a “race for masks” for a while now, and it certainly looks like a new fashion statement that could be sustainable through the end of the year, or longer. Bella+Canvas has developed a tiered offering of fabric masks. “We began with the no-sew mask because the second a sewing machine is involved, productivity drops massively — like 90% — it was game-changing in terms of production and industry revenue. At the same time, this is a new world of us all wearing masks and when you wear a heavy fabric mask for several hours, it can be onerous. We’ve heard stories of people fainting, feeling exhausted, etc. Our no-sew mask is lightweight and breathable, and we developed two versions, a lightweight and heavier weight depending on customer preference. These are the most cost effective, comfortable options in the industry. We recently developed our multi-ply reusable mask, one we waited for because fit is so important.”
Blakeslee has been quoted in industry publications saying there is still a great deal of confusion regarding face coverings, particularly with fabric. I asked him how dangerous it is when suppliers move forward without a solid understanding of the Emergency Use Authorization requirements for fabric face coverings. “That’s an important question. Because of our early involvement with government and other agencies, we invested to become experts in fabric masks. It’s a new world and putting something across a person’s nose and mouth is serious. We wanted to approach it responsibly and we learned that it’s not just as simple as being able to cut and sew fabric. In fact, the FDA has taken an increasingly attentive stance on fabric masks with detailed requirements for manufacturers. It was obvious most suppliers in our industry had no clue.”
In addition to supporting communities in need with donations, being able to produce at high volume has afforded Bella+Canvas the opportunity of helping to sustain the industry during the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic by keeping people employed and customers in business. But the “mask rush” still needs to be done safely, and the company is willing to give back there, too. “I’m a long-time advocate of product safety in the industry,” says Blakeslee, “and, as a company, we felt an obligation to both caution and educate the other manufacturers. Our industry has experienced product safety disasters before, and we don’t want this to be another. Anyone who wants to understand the FDA’s position can reach out to us and we’ll provide the details.”
Jeff Jacobs has been an expert in building brands and brand stewardship for 40 years, working in commercial television, Hollywood film and home video, publishing, and promotional brand merchandise. He’s a staunch advocate of consumer product safety and has a deep passion and belief regarding the issues surrounding compliance and corporate social responsibility. He retired as executive director of Quality Certification Alliance, the only non-profit dedicated to helping suppliers provide safe and compliant promotional products. Before that, he was director of brand merchandise for Michelin. Connect with Jeff on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, or read his latest musings on food, travel and social media on his personal blog jeffreypjacobs.com. Email jacobs.jeffreyp@gmail.com.