Support your local “Masken Label”

In May 2020 we introduced you to four small fashion labels from Munich, Hamburg, Cologne and Berlin that, right in the first lockdown, pivoted overnight to sewing stylish fabric masks. Mask mandates ended in April 2023, but the more interesting question is: what became of the labels that practically reinvented themselves overnight? We checked in. Three out of four are still around, and it’s exactly those three that explain why local craftsmanship is a good idea even without a pandemic.

Do you remember those weeks when suddenly everyone needed a mask and none were to be had? From early May 2020, mask mandates were in force nationwide, medical masks were scarce, and pharmacies couldn’t keep up. What happened then was really a small lesson in self-help: if you could sew, you sewed. Several small labels that normally made dresses, shirts or headbands switched to fabric masks within days. For a while, necessity became a fashion accessory you could match to your outfit.

We featured four of those labels back then because they showed how regional, transparent and principled production could work. Today, five years later, mask mandates are history (long-distance travel led the way in early 2023, and on 7 April 2023 the last nationwide Covid rules were lifted). The fascinating observation: the labels that took their craft seriously are still around. That’s what makes them interesting.

The masks were the catalyst. What remains is the idea that you have the right to know who sewed your clothes and from what.

Tilda & Toni from Munich: From Fabric Masks Back to Fashion

The Munich-based label Tilda & Toni was still very young in 2020, and the handmade masks from soft natural fabrics were a real eye-catcher. Muslin or waffle piqué, in beige, natural grey or with delicate plant patterns-back then, they had nothing to do with medical face coverings and everything to do with quality materials.

Today, the masks have disappeared from the range, but the label hasn’t. Tilda & Toni still sews in Munich, by hand and to order: fashion and accessories for adults and children, from headbands to full garments, made from natural, eco-friendly fabrics. Much of it is made to order, with a few days’ lead time instead of express shipping from a warehouse. That’s the point: a label that didn’t exploit the pandemic as a business model, but saw it as a brief chapter.

Recolution from Hamburg: 15 Years of Fair Fashion, Including Donated Masks

What made the masks from Recolution special in 2020 was the principle behind them: for every two masks sold, one was donated to homeless people and seniors. That fits a brand built entirely on principle.

Recolution is now one of Hamburg’s established names in fair fashion. The label has been GOTS-certified since 2017, produces climate-neutral and under socially fair conditions, and celebrated its 15th anniversary in September 2025. What two friends started as an idea is now a streetwear-inspired brand that regularly collaborates with artists. The masks were a side project. The consistency with which Recolution upholds fair production is the real core-and it has carried the brand beyond the pandemic.

Goodgive from Cologne: From Mask Project to Packaging Brand

If you like things simple and high-quality, you were in the right place with Goodgive in 2020. The bonus: the masks were sewn by Cologne tailors who couldn’t operate normally during lockdown, a direct boost for local businesses. The label was founded by Sara Stichnote, then 32 years old.

Goodgive is still around, and the label did something smart: it evolved the idea. From a mask project, it has become a brand for sustainable, reusable fabric packaging made from ecological materials and offcuts, still made in Germany. Masks are still available-and even customised. But today’s business rests on a theme that doesn’t depend on a pandemic: less disposable gift wrap, more fabric that comes back.

Ind_Berlin: The Fashion Label That Adapted Fast

Berlin labels reacted quickly too. Fashion label Ind_Berlin, for example, briefly added stylish masks to its range in 2020. It was the most fashion-forward of the four, less natural-fabric idyll, more statement. Unlike the other three, we couldn’t verify the label’s current status, so we’ll refrain from further comment. What remains is the pattern: whoever already works in small batches and close to production can respond to an exceptional situation without bending out of shape.

What the Mask Episode Reveals About Good Fashion

In hindsight, 2020 wasn’t so much a mask story as a lesson in how fashion is made. Three of the four labels are still around today, and all three share one thing: they produce in small quantities, locally, and can explain where the materials come from and who made them. It was this closeness that let them pivot in days rather than months in 2020.

The mask as a fashion accessory vanished as soon as it was allowed to. What remains is the question it briefly made so visible: who actually sewed this, and from what? If you occasionally factor small, local labels into your shopping, you answer that question almost by accident. How to do that in everyday life is something we show you with sustainable sneaker labels, and why real craftsmanship is worth it is something you can read in our piece on the second fitting at the tailor’s.