Since April 2020, the Westminster Menswear Archive (WMA) has been documenting the UKs rapidly evolving reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic through the acquisition of masks and PPE to add to the archive's permanent collection. Our research has examined how the fashion industry rapidly adapted production, manufacturing, and online marketing to address changing consumer demands. From the initial response from brands such as Burberry, Turnbull & Asser, and Barbour as they supported the global effort to produce PPE for medical personnel, to later developing and manufacturing face coverings targeted for their own customers as the wearing of masks became mandatory. While it might be assumed that the global pandemic and subsequent lockdowns necessitated localised manufacturing, our research has revealed the complex migratory journeys between the development, production, and consumption of these objects. |