Kitsbow Cycling Apparel will discontinue PPE production on February 28 after 24 months of designing, making, and shipping the brand’s face masks all over the United States. Kitsbow will return its sole focus to designing and manufacturing premium apparel items such as the men’s Haskell Pant and the Icon Shirt, which is available in Caprock Red and Deep Blue Ridge colorways.
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kitsbow was one of the first companies in America to pivot and make face masks. In those early months, medical clinics and fire departments did not have adequate supplies of masks and PPE. Five months into operating from its new facility in Old Fort, N.C., Kitsbow pivoted to PPE production, initially only for medical professionals and first responders, then the public. Demand was so strong that Kitsbow’s workforce grew by more than 50 percent in the first two weeks of PPE production.
Experts appreciated the face masks were designed to be comfortable enough to wear for a full eight-hour shift and were nearly as efficient as a N95 mask, with independent laboratory testing described by The New York Times.
Kitsbow also worked with medical professionals at Wake Forest Baptist University Health and together the two entities co-designed a mask that met the health provider’s needs. Many users preferred the adjustable cords with toggles of the Wake ProTech mask, which eventually made up about half of all of Kitsbow’s mask sales.
Kitsbow will take PPE orders until Monday, February 28 at www.kitsbow.com for those who want to acquire a backup supply of masks for the future. Kitsbow will be offering its filters for sale indefinitely. Kitsbow’s reusable masks are good for the environment, but they’re only effective with fresh filters. Kitsbow will continue selling filters after the Feb. 28 deadline for ordering reusable masks.
