Face masks hit the American retail market last year with unprecedented demand.
When the pandemic came, small businesses turned to masks to make up for lost sales.
For some, masks became a last hope to keep their companies afloat and provide for their families.
Darwin Manahan sat at the head of his dining table, surrounded by a team of friends helping out with his events business. To Manahan's right, his business partner, Pascale, was confirming the final sponsor for the Barbie festival they would be working that weekend.
It was March 3, 2020, in Los Angeles, four days before Manahan's birthday. His pregnant wife, Nikki, was walking around the apartment working on aprons for another business that the couple founded together, Manahan & Co. It would provide custom aprons for the staff at the festival, enough orders for the month.