Source: Xupermask / Xupermask
Given that we’re still undergoing a global pandemic due to the COVID-19 virus, masks are here to stay for the foreseeable future. Will.i.am viewed the future from his perch and has designed a new mask, Xupermask, that just might up being the must-have accessory not only for protection from the coronavirus but also fashion-forward tech heads as well.
The Hollywood Reporter published a report regarding the Xupermask, which Will.i.am developed in conjunction with Honeywell. The idea came to the rapper and global superstar while traveling via air during the pandemic. The Xupermask’s idea came to Will.i.am’s mind around March of last year and will see the light of day this coming Thursday (April 8).
The Xupermask features a HEPA air filtration system, noise-canceling headphones, microphone capabilities, and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity. The idea of the form-fitting and sleekly-styled mask is that the masks we currently wear now aren’t functional. This all-in-one device makes it so that a person can still be masked up while communicating with others without having to scramble to put their earbuds away, and the fit cuts down on eyeglasses fog too.
Source: Xupermask / Xupermask
Joe Fernandez, the owner of Ironhead Studio, which is a costume and creature design firm, worked with Will.i.am and Honeywell to design the Xupermask. Fernandez has worked on big Hollywood productions such as The Avengers, X-Men: United, and much more.
The fact that Will.i.am is hopping into a tech space as Black man isn’t lost on him and he told THR about the responsibility he has now that he’s moving into an arena where there aren’t many people who look like him.
“I would like to add how blessed and thrilled I am with this collaboration with Honeywell. There’s not that many Black entrepreneurs in tech. The work that I do in the inner city, teaching kids computer science and robotics and engineering, this is confirmation that — though there are not that many people that look like them in the tech field — good ideas are needed. So this partnership means a lot, not only to me, but to the 1,200 kids that I support in the hood that I come from,” Will.i.am said to THR.
The Xupermask will be released with two colorways, a white/gray/orange and a Black/Black/orange. The are two sizes for the Xupermask, a carrying case, a three month supply of HEPA filters, and more. The Xupermask will retail at $299.
Learn more about the Xupermask here.
—
Photo:
HipHopWired Radio
Our staff has picked their favorite stations, take a listen…
