
Erik wears a black mask that hides his entire face, and the original cover of the novel depicts Erik wearing a simple black domino mask that hides 3/4 of his face. In the Leroux book, Erik mentions having worn a mask even as a child, because his mother couldn't bear to look at his skull-like face.

The one-of-a-kind creations will be up for bids during a special online auction from October 30 to November 30. The mask was originally designed by Maria Björnson and realized by milliner Rodney Gordon. Participating #PhantomFashion30 designers and brands are Badgley Mischka, Chloe Gosselin, Christian Roth, Dennis Basso, Edie Parker, Eugenia Kim, Gigi Burris, Ilesteva, Isabel and Ruben Toledo, Judith Leiber, Kendra Scott, Kenneth Cole, Lizzie Fortunato, Marchesa, Naeem Khan, Nick Graham, Nicole Miller, Pamella Roland, Paul Marlow, Rebecca Minkoff, Sachin & Babi, Sally LaPointe, Stephen Dweck, Swarovski, Tadashi Shoji, Tanya Taylor, Title of Work, Vivienne Tam, Wolk Morais, and Zang Toi. Beginning Wednesday, October 31, the 30 masks will then go on display at the Museum of the City of New York for 30 days. The #PhantomFashion30 designs will be revealed during an invite-only event sponsored by Bank of America on October 30. Thirty designers were tasked to transform the look of the iconic Phantom mask to celebrate the musical's 30th Anniversary in New York City on January 26, 2018.

The Phantom of the Opera, The Council of Fashion Designers of America, and Bank of America have partnered to commemorate Broadway's longest-running musical with a unique project in support of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
