Quarantine has been a time in which many people have honed in on their skills as well as developed new ones. Ella Notdurft, senior, chose to start her own mask company, naming it Sun and Moon Masks. 

Notdurft hoped that, by making her own masks, she would combat issues that she had been facing. Some of these issues included masks being too small, not being eco-friendly, or just not having appealing patterns. Once word got out to her family and friends, Notdurft had an influx of requests for custom masks, which led her to start her company. 

Notdurft’s goal with Sun and Moon was to make affordable and eco-friendly masks with unique patterns that made people feel more confident when wearing them. 

“It makes me feel good but it also makes [the customers] feel good,” Notdurft said. “They feel pretty even with a mask covering their face or they feel expressive through whatever pattern they picked.” 

Outside of selling her masks, Notdurft has also taken to donating to the Portland Rescue. The purpose of the Portland Rescue is to support the homeless population by providing food, housing, and clothing. Notdurft felt compelled to contribute to the organization after seeing how many homeless people were without any kind of PPE. 

“I had been driving to go drop off masks at a friend’s house and I drove past a homeless camp,” said Notdurft. “It was just heartbreaking to see. No one had masks in the camp and there were people coming and going and just disrespecting their space.”

As of October, Notdurft has made over 500 masks and sold to hundreds of people. She hopes that, by selling affordable and cute masks that she can encourage others to wear theirs in public and keep those around them safe. 

“I thought it was a perfect [idea],” Notdurft said. “What I wanted to do was get more people to wear masks.” 

You can find your own Sun and Moon mask on Instagram @sunandmoon_masks.