Louis Vuitton is among the first luxury brands to foray into protective gear.

From designer face masks, now come designer face shields.

Louis Vuitton earlier this week announced it would be releasing a face shield with a monogrammed headband and photochromatic visor that darkens when exposed to sunlight.

The French fashion house has yet to reveal the price, although some say it could reach close to $1,000. Those who can afford it might already be placing advance orders for the product, which will be sold in select Louis Vuitton stores Oct. 30.

Others who prefer to buy local have a wide range of face masks by Filipino designers and artisans to choose from. Two weeks before the LV announcement, two enterprising sisters posted on their Instagram (@thecraftcentral) a selection of face shields with handpainted flowers and foliage.

TDLG masks by Tweetie de Leon Gonzalez have detachable tasseled “earrings.”

Alexis Dy and Monique Ventura source and sell crafts-related items online and in their stores. The watercolor paintings on the face shields were made by the Ink Scribbler team that specializes in calligraphy and watercolor.

“Most of their projects are for weddings and invitations, but since that’s been affected by COVID-19 (new coronavirus disease), they focused on putting their designs on relevant merchandise,” Ventura told Lifestyle in an email interview.

No worries about the designs washing off, as they are UV-printed on the acetate. The shields are priced at P249, and customers have the option of buying a matching face mask sold separately.

The Craft Central face shields are available online (bit.ly/2020shield) and in limited quantities at their branch at SM North Edsa.

Bitagcol by Jo Ann Bitagcol’s face masks have Filipiniana prints like “maria clara” and barong.

Designer masks

Since the start of lockdown, Filipino designers have been angling for a piece of the personal protective equipment pie. While some have been fashioning protective garb, most of them have focused on face masks.

JC Buendia updates his staple denim masks with different solid-colored stripes and comes out with a new print every two weeks. His four-layer washable masks are sold in sets of three for P1,000, and are available on his Facebook page.

There are dozens of face masks by designers like Vic Barba, Randy Ortiz and Noel Crisostomo to choose from on the Buy Filipino Facebook page.

At the Katutubo pop-up market held two weeks ago, model and accessories designer Tweetie de Leon-Gonzalez was the perfect walking advertisement for her handmade masks embellished with tasseled “earrings.”

“I only made a few, around 20 pieces, as they were all I could finish before the pop-up,” Gonzalez said. She ended up selling everything during the three-day fair. For the Katutubo event on Oct. 9-11, she plans to make more.

Other designers and merchants selling face masks who will be returning to Katutubo include StyleAna, with masks made from handwoven fabrics from Ilocos and the Mountain Province; model and photographer Jo Ann Bitagcol with her photo-printed masks; EverydayPnay’s Yakan cloth masks; Rhett Eala, who uses brocade fabric; and Masabel Iloco that pairs Ilocos inabel with lace.

Apologies to “Annie” fans, but in this time of pandemic, instead of a smile, you’re never fully dressed without a mask.