Beta(MSK) by Petit Pli is a washable fabric face mask for the coronavirus pandemic made from recycled plastic bottles with pleats that adjust around the wearer's nose and chin.

The mask is the first item for adults made by Petit Pli, a wearable technology company that was the winner of Dezeen Awards wearable design of the year 2018 for its collection of expandable children's clothes.

Petit Pli used its patent-pending technology to create reusable face masks in response to reports that disposable personal protective equipment (PPE) has lead to a surge in plastic pollution during the pandemic.

"It didn't come as a surprise to me to hear this week that humanity is at risk of having more masks than jellyfish in the Mediterranean," Petit Pli founder Ryan Mario Yasin told Dezeen.

"I created Petit Pli with the ambition of reducing waste and plastic pollution generated by the wearable industry," he added. "Petit Pli Beta(MSK) is our solution to reducing waste and inspiring humanity to embrace reusable masks to save them from living on our ocean floors for 450 years."

The same geometric pleats that Petit Pli used to make clothes that can expand as children grow has been used for the adult face masks.

Beta(MSK) fastens around the neck like a soft fabric collar. When the wearer wants to mask their mouth and nose, they simply tug on the top of the fabric to pull it up over their chin and nose in one quick movement.

A pocket between the face and neck can be used to insert an extra disposable filter.

The mask is made from 100 per cent recycled polyester, a hardwearing fabric created using plastic from recycled bottles, and the pattern for Beta(MSK) is designed to waste as little fabric as possible. The mask can be machine washed at 30 degrees Celsius.

Yasin used his background as an aeronautical engineer to design a system of permanent folds that can unpack to stretch and then return to shrink. Applied to children's clothes, the pleats can make a single garment last a child from the age of six months through to 36 months.

With Beta(MSK), the pleats make the mask a comfortable accessory that can easily convert into a face covering. The mask is available in four colours – Lunar Blue, Neptune Blue, Mars Red and Aurora Green.

Face masks do not prevent the wearer from catching coronavirus, but by catching coughs and sneezes they protect the people around them and slow down the rate of transmission.

From 24 July in the UK adults must wear a face cover such as a fabric mask in shops or be fined up to £100. Current guidelines for the country stipulate people must wear face coverings on public transport and in hospitals, and encourages wearing them in enclosed spaces where social distancing of over one metre is difficult.

Adidas designed and launched a branded mask called Face Cover in just a month, telling Dezeen it was "one of the most rapidly produced products we've ever made".