Photo by Erin Nelson.
Julie Bernstein and her husband, Scott Joe, wear their patent-pending SLEEVZ face masks, designed for use with eyewear, at their home Sept. 30.
It doesn’t look like people will stop wearing masks anytime soon because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. People can, however, prevent their glasses fog up while wearing a mask.
Mountain Brook residents Scott Joe and Julie Bernstein designed a patent-pending face mask called SLEEVZ. It attaches to eyewear and eliminates fog. Because the mask is secured to the face through the eyewear, it doesn’t pull on ears and is more comfortable to wear than other face masks.
Scott Joe grew up in the scrap metal recycling industry and has been wearing face masks long before the pandemic.
“So I knew the problems when they said they would make everybody wear masks all day long,” he said. “I wanted to come up with something that would really be for me personally so I could adhere to the laws.”
He got an idea to attach the mask to glasses, and Julie designed it. This mask isn’t just for those who have an eyeglass prescription, though. The mask can be attached to any eyewear, including sunglasses, safety goggles and blue-light glasses. By pairing the mask with eyewear, a person has an extra layer of protection from the coronavirus.
“From early on, we realized how contagious this virus is and that it can get in your eyeballs just as easy as it can your nose and mouth,” Scott Joe said. “We decided to attach the mask to glasses, and I was like, ‘Well, that’s good because that covers your whole entire T-zone — your eyes, nose and mouth.’”
The mask has an adjustable magnetic fit that allows a person to fit the mask to his or her face shape. If a person would rather have the mask hang from the glasses like a face covering, he or she can undo the magnetic clasps.
“There are built-in magnets that are in adjustable pockets,” Julie said. “You can adjust the mask to your face shape by moving the magnets up or down. You can make it tighter.”
The mask offers more protection when it tightly fits the face, but the face covering is more comfortable and perfect for going out. For example, a person can undo the magnetic clasps, have the mask hanging loosely under his or her glasses and sip on a drink while still wearing the face covering.
Everywhere he goes, people ask Scott Joe where he got his mask.
“I’ve lost count of how many people have waited for me outside of a store and asked where I got my mask,” he said. “Everywhere we go, we stop people in their tracks because they’re so amazed with what we have.”
The masks also caught the attention of Marcus Lemonis, the star of CNBC reality show The Profit. In the show, Lemonis typically visits struggling small businesses and helps them get back on track — this was put to a pause during the pandemic, though. Lemonis began Instagram Live shows in September. The Bernsteins made it on the show, and Lemonis offered to invest in the product.
“We weren’t expecting that at all, because we’ve been watching it the weeks prior, and he hadn’t offered to invest in anybody,” Bernstein said.
The Bernsteins hope to soon solidify negotiations with Lemonis and make a deal, Julie said.
The masks come in three solid colors plus four different patterns. The masks were expected to ship to its first customers by the end of October.
Visit sleevzmask.com for more information.
