By Anita Langary
September 15 2020, 10.50
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Vending machines that sell face masks are popping up across the UK, courtesy of new start-up company Maskey.
Maskey’s founder Adam Freeman acknowledged the scarcity of sustainable, convenient and fashion-forward masks and decided to create a solution.
As a result he formed the company in April and started by setting up pop-up vending machines across London, before spreading nationwide.
Freeman, 42, said: “I wanted a face mask myself, before the government starting advising the public to wear them but I couldn’t find anything available apart from the medical blue face masks.
“I could see that they were causing a hygiene problem and could cause landfill issues. I also felt they were being taken away from the NHS which desperately needed them.
“I knew I had to come up with a solution so I set out to make a face mask that was sustainable, fashionable, fun to wear, reasonably priced and easily accessible.
“I also wanted to create a Maskey that was fun for kids to wear to try and take away some of the doom and gloom around the pandemic.”
Freeman aims to have more than 100 Maskey vending machines and 10 shops selling his creative, convenient and sustainable masks in the UK by the end of September.
As the world was hit with an unprecedented global pandemic, businesses were faced with adapting to new societal needs.
As a result, Bulgari began producing antibacterial hand gel, Ferrari produced breathing respirators and ventilators, and Mulberry have committed to making a surplus of 8000 gowns to support NHS frontline workers.
Not only have luxury brands ventured out of their usual produce, it also opened the doors for new entrepreneurs to develop new businesses that correlated with the current requirements
A study shows that start-ups not only contributed £663 million to the UK economy during the coronavirus lockdown but there’s also a 34% increase in new businesses this year compared to the previous period last year.
Freeman said: “If entrepreneurs have an idea, they should just go for it.
“You can’t just sit back and wait for things to happen, you have to make them happen. If you start the process and journey and happen to get to a brick wall, find a way to get over it.”
You can buy masks directly from Maskey at maskey.uk
