A novel fashion accessory has made an appearance on the runways at Chinese fashion collection debuts, just what every follower of fashion needs; a custom facemask to deal with the country's ever-present smog.
Models were sporting a number of designer "fashionable" masks during Mercedes-Benz China Fashion Week in Beijing, a city heavily plagued by air pollution.
The capital city is currently in an orange air-pollution alert, the second-most serious warning level in the official system of color-coded alerts.
At the orange level, construction work is halted, factories must run at reduced levels, children and older people are advised to remain indoors, while schools curtail outdoor activities.
"Not for casual reasons are they called 'killer smogs,'" says Dr. William Schaffner, head of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. "Intense smog often causes a lot of asthma and respiratory stress and can precipitate heart attacks and things like that."
Heavy smog is an ongoing problem for China, whose recent and rapid industrialization has large been powered by burning coal.
Chinese sports wear maker QIAODAN Yin Peng has stepped up to debut a collection of breathing masks designed to match their high-style clothing collection.
And it's not just a fad; during the 34th Beijing International Marathon earlier this month a significant number of runners were reportedly wearing masks in order to protect their breathing while on their 26.2-mile run through the city's all-enveloping smog.
"Some of the runners have given up in the 2014 Beijing Marathon due to the serious air pollution in Beijing." pic.twitter.com/GoVpxcPcKH -- People's Daily, China (@PDChina) October 19, 2014.
Officials, obviously sensitive to the negative impression the smog problem is creating, are reportedly working feverishly to institute additional anti-pollution measure ahead of the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit let this month.
Whether or not the facemasks sported by runway models at the fashion event are truly effective against smog is unknown, although a couple of them were seen displaying the 3M logo sometimes found on oxygen masks.
Airborne particles responsible for much of smog's effect on health would not be stopped by a simple fiber painter's mask, experts point out.
In the United States, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health set requirements for facemasks. Masks designated N95 can filter at least 95 percent of airborne particles; those designated N100 can filter 99.97 percent of such particles.
Whether the haute couture facemasks catch on in China remains to be seen, but the smog that prompted them is undeniable.
