Fending Off the Virus Just Got Fancy

Louis Vuitton will make a $1K face shield
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 14, 2020 12:10 PM CDT
Designer Face Shields With $1K Price Tag Are Now a Thing
A highfalutin health precaution.   (Louis Vuitton, via Forbes)

"An eye-catching headpiece, both stylish and protective" is in the works, courtesy of Louis Vuitton and meant to help keep COVID-19 at bay, but it won't come cheap. Per the New York Post, the fashion house's new plastic face shield, which is part of the brand's 2021 Cruise Collection, will be available for purchase at certain LV stores starting Oct. 30. The rumored price: around $960 (though a Louis Vuitton rep tells Business Insider no price has been decided on yet). CNN notes the visorlike shield—with its elastic monogrammed headband and gold studs with the Louis Vuitton name etched into them—turns darker in sunlight to protect wearers, "like one giant transition lens," per Forbes. The shield can also be flipped up to wear like a hat.

The CDC notes, however, that although face shields can offer eye protection for the wearer, it's not certain how effective they are at protecting others from the wearer's respiratory droplets; the agency doesn't recommend using shields in place of face masks. Writing for Slate, Shannon Palus adds that people can pick up a regular old face shield for two bucks that would likely offer just as much protection as this expensive version. She tells the average Joe or Jolene not to save up their pennies to buy it. "This is a ridiculously high-priced logo-covered item for rich people," she notes. Still, she adds, "it's also not exactly a trinket. If even some rich people are a little bit more inclined to wear personal protective gear, because they have purchased this face shield, that's good for all of us." (More Louis Vuitton stories.)

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