A mask at Mardi Gras gives the wearer the ability to express an air of mystery while also sporting an accessory he or she can’t necessarily use everyday.
A customized mask is even more appealing for those who want to stand out in the large Mardi Gras crowds.
University alumna Avery Bond started making custom Mardi Gras masks last year and has expanded her business.
Bond sells her masks through Etsy under the shop name “BonTempsRoule.”
She said while her shop was created last year, she primarily sold the masks through word of mouth.
This year, Bond moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, to work for Teach For America. Wanting to expand her work, Bond started using Etsy more heavily.
Customer Catherine Ballow said she found Bond’s shop through Google. She said, along with Bond’s masks, she also stayed for the other artwork.
Bond’s masks are different from traditional Mardi Gras masks that require strings or a stick to hold throughout the day. Her masks are made of mesh that contour to the face and include clear, drying adhesive.
The adhesive allows for the mesh to stick to the face with nothing else needed and includes instructions so the mask can be worn multiple times. This factor is what primarily made Ballow and her friends place an order.
“It’s kind of difficult to have your hair hold something on your face all day,” Ballow said. “No one really wants to walk around holding something.”
Bond said her inspiration for the adhesive mask came from her love of getting face painted during the holiday. She said she was always sad to wash the artwork off after only one day. A face-adhesive mask allows for the face paint effect but with multiple uses.
Bond also makes all the masks custom to order.
Ballow said Bond was incredibly helpful by messaging back and forth between the group of women to find out their color schemes and give her design ideas. Ballow said the attention to detail along with speedy shipping made Bond great to work with.
Bond also outfitted entire krewes with her masks.
She said she recently designed for a krewe in the Spanish Town Parade. Bond said designing for krewes becomes more of a bulk order and can be either all the same masks or all different masks. The krewe in Spanish Town wanted all different masks, so she worked much more closely with them than if the masks were all the same.
Bond said, for her, masks are an important aspect to the traditions of Mardi Gras.
She said she also likes how her Etsy shop allows for customers to receive something that’s one-of-a-kind instead of an identical mask from a store.
Ballow agreed while she and her friends are in New Orleans for Mardi Gras, they will be immersing themselves in the holiday’s culture.
“We just wanted to follow tradition as much as we could,” Ballow said.
You can reach Meg Ryan on Twitter @The_MegRyan.