Last spring, Fellbach resident Vanessa Bürkle developed a mask that prevents glasses from fogging up. Today, her growing company has a turnover of almost €10,000 per week.
Every great invention starts with a problem to solve and it only took Bürkle a few months after the advent of corona to realize the inconvenience that spectacle wearers were experiencing with conventional masks. And of the potential problems they could cause for other members of the Fellbach fire department, where she works as a volunteer.
So, after some thought, she came up with a simple but ingenious solution: she attached a silicone thread to the upper part of the mask, above the nose. In this way, the exhaled air does not flow upwards to the eyes and glasses, but to the sides. This is how the OptiMask was created, a washable fabric mask whose design is now worth many thousands of euros.
So much so that of the 400 masks she makes at home every day, 700 are sold each week for a value of almost €10,500. And that’s not all: due to her success, she has planned to move production and storage from her living room to a warehouse. And, of course, she has patented her design.
However, like any new invention, the OptiMask is not completely problem-free. In order not to damage the silicone, the mask cannot be washed at over 40° – but over 60° is necessary to kill the virus. The solution, says Bürkle, is to iron it.
The OptiMask is sold on the website of VB Innovation, a company founded by Brükle, for €14.98 (plus shipping costs). You can also buy children’s fabric masks, FFP2 masks and disposable silicone masks. The latter follow the same principle as the OptiMask.