Coronavirus: How face masks are becoming fashionable

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been matching her masks to her outfits this month

Face masks have become a necessity during the coronavirus outbreak and now the fashion world is ensuring that they become trendy.

And with masks advised for the foreseeable future, people are finding ways to incorporate them into their outfits.

"Everyone is on it right now including designers. It is a necessary fashion statement right now," says Angel Obasi who runs the Instagram account Styleconnaisseur.

Ms Obasi posted images of a matching mask and suit outfit she wore to a Zoom wedding when the pandemic began. More than 100,000 people liked the images of her outfit on Twitter.

She told the BBC that she has worn the mask several times as it is "best for my style and obviously for keeping safe".

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Ms Obasi isn't the only person ensuring she remains safe and fashionable. High-profile figures have also started to match their masks to their outfits.

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, was dubbed "Leader of the House Majority, and of mask-to-pantsuit colour coordination" by Hillary Clinton on Thursday.

Ms Pelosi has sported a number of matching ensembles over the past month.

Slovakia's President Zuzana Caputova (centre) has worn masks that match her outfits when out in public

President of Slovakia Zuzana Caputova received praise online for her matching mask ensemble which was dubbed by one social media user as "modern day corona".

With the trend rising, many fashion designers are taking note and now creating their own matching outfits. Givenchy even released their own mask and cap combo. However it will set you back £425 (£514).

One designer in Italy hit the headlines this month when she created the trikini - a matching bikini and face mask set.

Tiziana Scaramuzzo, owner of Elexia Beachwear, said she created the trikini as a joke but after she posted images of the set to social media, she was inundated with orders.

Room Shop Vintage in the US started selling matching mask and top sets when their head of manufacturing sent over images of a sample.

"Seeing the samples really sparked something in me and that is when we went forward with the idea," Shelly Horst co-founder of Room Shop Vintage told the BBC.

"The reception to our matching top/mask set has been really great. Our customers love a matching look. Having a mask that matches their top makes the mask more fun and whimsical to wear, something that is important in such as serious, scary time."

She said she expected the trend to continue.

"Going forward people will need multiple masks in rotation especially as things begin to open back up. Having a mask that matches exactly is a fun fashion move, but matching through colour stories will start to happen as well. Considering what mask to wear will become a part of planning an outfit."

It's not just matching sets that are becoming popular. Other designers are making masks as glamorous as possible, rhinestones and all.

Sefiya Sjejomaoh makes colourful masks to match her personality

Sefiya Sjejomaoh told Reuters news agency that the pandemic should not get in the way of her sense of style.

"When you come out in a stylish mask or with an accessory such as this, it doesn't seem as though we're fighting a war.

"It seems more fun," she said.