It was a very exciting weekend with the launch or rather rebrand of our strap as the first chain mask holder. Like many small business’ out there my shop has struggled. I closed the office for a few months and while we still got some orders through our waitlist, the future looked grim.
Over the weekend I was texted a photo of my Pretty Connected Lara Mulit-Use chain being used as a mask holder. Last year when I was in Vietnam and South Korea, where masks are a norm due to pollution I thought about this idea, but returning to the US where we rarely see anyone in a mask I didn’t put to much thought into it. The chain, which started as a camera strap turned into the true multi-purpose chain when I started using it as the first water bottle strap last year and my readers started to explode with creativity. I was getting posts of them wearing it as a necklace, bag strap, necklace… and beyond. I think this video does a great job of showing all the fun ways my straps can be used.
While I thought this was the year of the flip flop strap, the universe had other plans. And the irony is I opened the office back up May 1st not just for the accessories line but to fund raise for various covid-related causes. I donated 100 beauty products to front line workers/nurses/teachers and then did a beauty sale of 50 items to raise funds. All the while I’ve been speaking out regularly on social media about my disappointment over the lack of NYer’s not wearing masks and also my friend/influencers posting photos without theirs on or at least in their hands to show/encourage their audience to wear them. The universe really listened and gave me a stronger message in asking the world to wear their mask, and also a new outlet to raise money. 10% of all sales will be donated to covid-related causes. Since the start Pretty Connected has made donations to No Kid Hungry, Feeding America, Social Tees, masks for medical workers. Our latest fundraiser has been for hunger relief in Queens through a group of friends organizing the effort.
