Will.i.am is selling a $299 face mask with built-in noise canceling headphones, LED lights
Have you ever found yourself wearing your boring ol' cloth face mask in the grocery store and wishing it were both a lot more expensive and also canceled out sound?
Thankfully, Black Eyed Peas founder Will.i.am has stepped up to meet this urgent demand, joining forces with N95 mask manufacturer Honeywell to create a "fashion statement" face covering that includes built-in noise canceling headphones, LED lights "for nighttime," HEPA ventilation filters, and Bluetooth capabilities. The mask itself was designed by Jose Fernandez, the same guy who worked on the costumes for Black Panther and those futuristic SpaceX suits for Elon Musk, The New York Times reports.
The "Xupermask" — as it is called — will certainly turn heads, anyway:
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"I wish it wasn't the case," Will.i.am explained to Axios of his decision to get into the mask game in the 13th month of the pandemic, "but masks will be here for a while."
The Xupermask will go on sale starting Thursday for $299 ... or about the price of 84 regular N95 masks. Deadmau5 and Daft Punk are going to be so mad they didn't think of this first.
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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