The mask reveals more than it hides

DHL and sustainable fashion label Grubenhelden make a statement with their stylish face mask

Earlier this year, DHL’s team collaborated with sustainable fashion startup Grubenhelden to design a facemask using the same fabric as the polo shirts worn by DHL couriers worldwide. By the end of June, the first batch of red and yellow facemasks was ready and we created a short video to present the masks. We had no problem finding models; in fact, we were overwhelmed by the response. Over a hundred employees showed up at our “studio” (a converted conference room at DHL’s global headquarters in Bonn) to sit for portraits. This was followed by another photo shoot in Gladbeck with Grubenhelden staff.

Something unexpected happened during those two days of shooting. Our volunteer models started talking about how COVID-19 has changed their lives. And more than that, they talked about how the “new normal” is really about consideration for others, about solidarity, equality, diversity, and humanity.

By the end of the photo sessions, it became clear that the mask reveals more than it hides. The mask shows who we are on the inside – and it shows us how something as small as a red and yellow mask can become a statement for more humanity and community.

Behind the scenes: The video shoot

The whole story: How a mask became a statement

In just a few months, COVID-19 has changed the world in more ways than we could ever have imagined. We’re now versed in previously unfamiliar scientific terms – things like exponential growth, the R rate and the doubling rate. We comply with hygiene and social distancing rules and can easily tell the difference between a makeshift mask and a FFP2 mask. We communicate differently, work differently, and live differently than we did before. When shopping at the supermarket, we make sure to avoid others. From above it might look a bit like a game of Pac-Man.

At DHL, we responded quickly to the pandemic. Our top priority was and still is to protect our colleagues from infection – with social distancing and hygiene rules, with facemasks, working from home whenever possible, and contactless delivery. Our second goal was to make sure people can continue to ship and receive the things they need. And we succeeded in this, even during the phase of strict lockdowns in Germany. We also launched initiatives such as “DHL lokal handeln“ (DHL act local) to support local retailers. The crisis has certainly highlighted the critical importance of logistics.

Business goes on, but the corona crisis has given us pause. While we’ve grown accustomed to the extraordinary situation, we also long for a return to normality. But what will that normality look like? How can we learn from the crisis and build more sustainable economies and stronger communities in the future?

We’re not only thinking about these questions ourselves, but also discussing them with our customers large and small. Our dialogue with Grubenhelden – the Gladbeck-based fashion label that we’ve partnered with since 2016 – has been particularly close. Grubenhelden has created a modern lifestyle brand featuring sustainable, mining-inspired streetwear and accessories that celebrate the coal mining industry and working-class culture of Germany’s Ruhr region.

Working together with Grubenhelden, we came up with the idea of a reversible, DHL-branded facemask. One side of the mask is made from the same fabric as the polo shirts worn by DHL couriers; the flip side features Grubenhelden branding, including hammer and chisel icons as symbols of the mining industry. A limited number of masks are available for purchase on Grubenhelden´s online shop. Originally, the goal was to introduce the masks internally within DHL only, but the project has since grown into something bigger.

“The original idea behind the mask was to make a statement – that we protect our employees from infection and that our customers can rely on us for stable supply chains even in times of crisis. But it has turned into much more,” says Arjan Sissing, SVP Group Brand Marketing at Deutsche Post DHL Group. "While producing the short video, it became again and even more clear that the reason we are so strong in this crisis is because of our tremendous diversity here within the company.”

Arjan Sissing

Head of Brand Marketing at Deutsche Post DHL Group

As a fashion label, Grubenhelden builds on the Ruhr region’s proud mining tradition and values. The coal mining industry attracted migrant workers from around Europe to the Ruhr region, beginning with East Prussia, Silesia, Poland, and Bavaria. Later, workers from Turkey, Bosnia, Greece, Russia, Bulgaria and many others countries followed. The region became a true melting pot – a bastion of tolerance, integration, and community. Grubenhelden founder Matthias Bohm sums it up succinctly: “Coal was a great equalizer. Underground, everyone was the same.” In a tribute to the mining industry, the portraits of the volunteers were shot against a black background.

As with the Ruhr region in its coal-mining heyday, Deutsche Post DHL Group brings together people from countries and cultures across the globe. In Germany alone, where the Group is headquartered, Deutsche Post and DHL employees represent 175 different nationalities. Our purpose is to connect people and improve lives around the world, and with operations in 220 countries and territories, our workforce is a reflection of the world’s population. We are diversity, and diversity is our strength.