Gloves, whether for protection or self-expression, are having a moment amid coronavirus – as Demi Lovato and Jared Leto show
- Stars have been pictured wearing disposable gloves, and a storied Danish glove-maker’s hypoallergenic ones are in high demand as Covid-19 pandemic rages
- Gloves have been back in fashion a while, and a Canada-based artist duo are launching a freaky pair ‘to hopefully make people smile’
Amid the pandemic, face masks have become the accessory of the moment for most fashion labels. Accessories brand Rhanders has different priorities, though.
The Danish glove-maker makes antibacterial gloves that are hypoallergenic, environment-friendly and come in a variety of materials and styles.
Its crochet style, for instance, is 100 per cent cotton and treated with technology that claims to stop up to 99.99 per cent of microorganisms and bacteria passing through the fabric onto the wearer’s hands.
Rhanders is donating gloves like these to NGO Save the Children, as well as to school caretakers and nursing home staff.
Global demand for disposable gloves has skyrocketed. Sales were up by 670 per cent in March compared to the same period last year, making them the fastest growing e-commerce product category, according to data from retail intelligence company Stackline.
Disposable gloves for trips such as a dash to the supermarket have become ubiquitous, with some people even taking to Instagram to exhibit their gloved hands accessorised with rings and stick-on nails. Celebrities and fashion influencers have been showing off their gloves during coronavirus lockdowns.
Actor Jared Leto (who seems to own a wardrobe's worth of fashion gloves) has been posting selfies at home while sporting a pair of jet-black disposable gloves.
Singer Demi Lovato was also photographed wearing gloves – even, as a Buzzfeed article pointed out, keeping them on while handling her phone rather than first removing them.
Some infectious-disease experts advise against wearing gloves. For those who do wear them, the CDC has guidelines for safely removing them.
“In public, you can wear gloves, but that can [give you] a false sense of security,” Dr Jason Newland, an infectious-disease specialist at Washington University and Barnes Jewish Hospital in St Louis, in the US state of Missouri, tells the Post. “I'd rather you be thinking about washing your hands and wiping down potentially infected surfaces. And really, social distancing will almost mitigate all of those things.”
How to avoid skin problems from wearing a surgical mask in the heat
Newland says the CDC recommendations suggest those who are taking care of somebody in their home with Covid-19 should wear gloves when doing tasks like putting their clothes in the washing machine. “That decreases the amount of virus that potentially can get on your skin, but you're still going to wash your hands before and after you take off the gloves,” he explains.
“I mean, who picks their nose wearing gloves?” she says. “This was also the main reason [why people wore] gloves in Victorian times – to protect against diseases. I think we should respect doctors’ advice, but also trust our own sensibility.”
“Most are based on our bestselling styles, which have been in our collection for more than 80 years,” Hansen says. “So the cut, fit, quality and styles are proven. Now we are taking the next step in updating them with touch technology and antibacterial treatment.”
Hansen says Rhanders is seeing a “large increase in demand – from both old and young customers”.
Rhanders isn't the only fashion designer exploring the potential of protective gloves. Vogue reported in early April that design duo Fecal Matter debuted shoulder-length gloves that resemble human skin with alien-like body modifications.
The duo, Hannah Rose Dalton and Steven Raj Bhaskaran, artists based in Montreal, Canada, are known for their otherworldly take on footwear, such as using silicone to mimic a foot crossed with a stiletto.
Their newest accessory was in development long before the coronavirus outbreak; they had been preparing to unveil it at a now-cancelled show in May. Dalton and Bhaskaran told Vogue they're now showing off their gloves – nails, horns and all – whenever they make a trip to their local supermarket.
“So many of our fans have been messaging us, like kids from Italy and China, telling us how depressed they are,” Bhaskaran says. “For people who understand what we do, it is also a moment to realise that they can still express themselves. We just have to find ways to connect creative expression. Launching the gloves right now will hopefully make people smile – and obviously still freak them out.”
And Hansen says: “I never imagined that the innovation would have such a great importance. It makes me feel extremely proud that we can take a role in helping out and make a difference.”
