Upmarket footwear brand Inkerman diversifies into selling face masks – and will donate one for every one sold

• Firm sells ethically-made shoes with ‘English heritage and contemporary feel’
• Inkerman launched in New York five years ago and recently launched in the UK 
• It has diversified into selling face masks and has pledged to help key workers 

A shoe retailer which recently launched in the UK has diversified into selling face masks and is giving its customers an opportunity to provide vital PPE for care workers and NHS staff.

The upmarket footwear brand Inkerman has launched a ‘one for one’ scheme which matches every sale of a mask with a donation of a medical-grade mask for a key worker.

The company which sells high quality and ethically-made shoes with ‘an English heritage and a contemporary feel’ was launched in New York five years ago and has just started making online sales through a UK website.

British entrepreneurs Thomas Downing and William Pritchard diversified into selling masks when the pandemic struck in New York, forcing them to temporarily close their two shops in the city.

The upmarket footwear brand Inkerman has launched a ‘one for one’ scheme which matches every sale of a mask with a donation of a medical-grade mask for a key worker

British entrepreneurs Thomas Downing and William Pritchard diversified into selling masks when the pandemic struck in New York, forcing them to temporarily close their two shops in the city

William, 30, said: ‘As the pandemic took hold, things started changing very quickly. People were not interested in purchasing luxury items like our shoes and were just thinking about how to protect themselves.

‘We wanted to do something useful and we saw the obvious need for reusable and good quality masks because they were in such short supply at the start of the pandemic.

‘Our factory in Mexico which normally makes our accessories such as bags and leather goods was able to switch its production lines to making masks for us within a few days.

‘They increased their workforce and doubled their factory space to meet our demand. We even bought them additional piping machines to help make the edging of masks.’

William and Thomas, also 30, wanted to support the cause through a collective initiative to donate one mask to the New York city authorities for every one that they sold, so they could be used by key workers.

The company which sells high quality and ethically-made shoes with ‘an English heritage and a contemporary feel’ was launched in New York five years ago

The black-coloured masks which have three layers and a water propellant polypropylene lining and polyester felt in the middle proved hugely popular with shoppers looking to protect themselves while also helping others.

William said they had sold 30,000 of the anti-bacterial masks in the US, and had so far donated 26,000 to good causes with a further 4,000 due to be handed over in targeted donations to charities such as IMPACCT Brooklyn.

He and Thomas are now hopeful that Inkerman will have similar success in the UK, where the masks are being sold for £20 for a pack of three.

Each mask can be hand washed or washed at low temperature and hung up to dry around 20 times to allow them to be used repeatedly and making them cheaper in the long term than disposable masks.

William said: ‘Our masks in the UK are just going to consumers, but for every one sold, we will donate a medical grade mask to the NHS.

‘It means that people can buy a mask for protection while knowing that they are also helping protect key staff and not using up essential medical-grade PPE themselves.’

William expects demand for masks to boom in the UK due to the expectation that people will be expected to wear them in enclosed spaces such as shops and areas where social distancing is difficult or impossible.

He said: ‘Wearing masks is becoming more socially acceptable and normal. They are going to be part of everyday life for the next six to 12 months so there is going to be a big demand for them.

‘It’s not just about helping people to protect themselves, it’s about helping them to protect others.’

Inkerman is also producing corporate branded masks, with discounted prices for bulk purchase, so that companies can order stocks with their own logo or slogan.

William said: ‘There is no reason why masks should not be part of the uniform and branding worn by employees.’

He added: ‘Going forward our focus as a brand is now on ensuring all partnerships and initiatives incorporate a charitable element as a key driver.’

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