Portland Garment Factory Started 2020 Making Masks for Health Care Workers and Ended With “Ugly Holiday Masks” for, Well, Everyone

The designs on the holiday masks ranged from 3D felt trees to a fluffy Santa beard with a gingerbread cookie hanging from the mouth.

Portland Garment Factory owner Britt Howard is producing 6,000 “frontline barrier masks” per week at her Montavilla textile factory. (Christine Dong)
By Shannon Gormley

WW presents “Distant Voices,” a daily video interview for the era of social distancing. Our reporters are asking Portlanders what they’re doing during quarantine.

After a long year of churning out thousands of masks for health care workers, Portland Garment Factory ended 2020 with something much more whimsical: "ugly holiday masks."

"It was supposed to be a quirky, cheeky nod to the holidays and the traditional ugly sweater stuff," says founder Britt Howard. "But also, you know, a mask, reminding everyone, even if you do go visit your family, you still need to wear a mask."

Related: Keep Calm and Make Masks: A Volunteer Brigade Is Sewing the Face Coverings Needed to Protect Portland's Doctors and Patients.

Part of a public safety collaboration with the Oregon Health Authority, the designs on the ugly holiday masks ranged from 3D felt trees to a fluffy Santa beard with a gingerbread cookie hanging out of its mouth.

The masks sold out almost immediately.

WW talked to Howard about the impetus behind the ugly holiday masks and PGF's next pandemic product: dog beds.

See more Distant Voices interviews here.

Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office. Support WW's journalism today.