Covid-19: Designer face masks are going for US$200 a pop online

Paltrow's designer face mask by Aurinium has become a new symbol of inequality at a time when protective equipment for medical workers is in woefully short supply. — Instagram/@gwynethpaltrow

Gwyneth Paltrow posted an Instagram photo Monday on her way back from the farmer’s market. In it, she’s wearing a black dress and a matching black face mask. Her label of choice for the latter is a Swedish company called Airinum AB.

Designer face masks have been around for at least a decade, a niche market catering to the chronically sick along with frequenters of Burning Man and fashionistas in Beijing. Now, amid the coronavirus pandemic, they are a coveted accessory for wealthy people around the globe. And for others, they’re a new symbol of inequality at a time when protective equipment for medical workers is in woefully short supply.