 "Fashionably functional")
One year ago, a friend who loves New Delhi like he would his first-born would not believe me when I told him that Delhi has the most polluted air in the world. But isn't it the greenest? He is not alone in this denial - several Delhiites seem perplexed when they are told about particulate matter pollution, particularly since it is "invisible". But with a 2014 World Health Organization report and The New York Times' journalist Gardiner Harris's incisive piece on the health hazards of living in Delhi, there is a grudging acceptance of the mounting troubles. Besides the Delhi government's odd-even rule, residents in the city are beginning to adopt anti-pollution masks. Vogmask, a US-based company that produces what it claims are the world's best face-masks, finally has stores in Delhi's upscale Khan Market and Select Citywalk mall.
Besides their functionality, what helps is that they look quite quirky, doing away with the medical connotation that usually comes with such masks. Jai Dhar Gupta, founder and CEO of Nirvana Being, the company that markets Vogmaks in India, explains how these masks dramatically improved his lung function. "I am a marathon runner and my lung capacity had declined drastically when I moved to Delhi. It was only when I met a diplomat from the American embassy at a camping trip that I discovered these masks and why everyone in Delhi needs them," he explains.
The Vogmask store goes a few steps beyond masks and offers simple, yet chic solutions to the unhealthy environment we live in. For instance, a small device that resembles a Bluetooth speaker and is called the Laser Egg displays the PM 2.5 levels. Gupta explains how this device "makes the invisible visible". Priced at Rs 9,995, it seems like the thing that would bring with it an adequate amount of anxiety. The Airgle air-purifiers are also available at the store, priced Rs 85,000 upwards. "Since PM pollution affected me personally, I believe in using only the best technology to tackle this issue," he says, by way of justifying the significantly higher price. Gupta adds that his company will be launching a car air-purifier, Purafil, in about three weeks. "While bringing the PM 2.5 levels will need a concerted effort and a change in some basic habits, one must do what one can to safeguard oneself against such hazardous living conditions," he says.
Though the store in Khan Market is empty when I visit, the representative says that it retails about 20 masks every day, priced Rs 2,000 and upwards. This number is bound to go up in fashion-conscious Delhi, with designer Manish Arora's chic prints, which will soon feature on these masks. And, since these "designer" masks will be priced just Rs 500 higher than regular ones, it seems like a great way to get a designer label in one's wardrobe that also improves lung function.
Besides their functionality, what helps is that they look quite quirky, doing away with the medical connotation that usually comes with such masks. Jai Dhar Gupta, founder and CEO of Nirvana Being, the company that markets Vogmaks in India, explains how these masks dramatically improved his lung function. "I am a marathon runner and my lung capacity had declined drastically when I moved to Delhi. It was only when I met a diplomat from the American embassy at a camping trip that I discovered these masks and why everyone in Delhi needs them," he explains.
The Vogmask store goes a few steps beyond masks and offers simple, yet chic solutions to the unhealthy environment we live in. For instance, a small device that resembles a Bluetooth speaker and is called the Laser Egg displays the PM 2.5 levels. Gupta explains how this device "makes the invisible visible". Priced at Rs 9,995, it seems like the thing that would bring with it an adequate amount of anxiety. The Airgle air-purifiers are also available at the store, priced Rs 85,000 upwards. "Since PM pollution affected me personally, I believe in using only the best technology to tackle this issue," he says, by way of justifying the significantly higher price. Gupta adds that his company will be launching a car air-purifier, Purafil, in about three weeks. "While bringing the PM 2.5 levels will need a concerted effort and a change in some basic habits, one must do what one can to safeguard oneself against such hazardous living conditions," he says.
Though the store in Khan Market is empty when I visit, the representative says that it retails about 20 masks every day, priced Rs 2,000 and upwards. This number is bound to go up in fashion-conscious Delhi, with designer Manish Arora's chic prints, which will soon feature on these masks. And, since these "designer" masks will be priced just Rs 500 higher than regular ones, it seems like a great way to get a designer label in one's wardrobe that also improves lung function.
Visit the store online at nirvanabeing.com