College students from Texas Girl’s College on Monday introduced a specifically designed clothes line to younger sufferers at present being handled at Scottish Ceremony for Youngsters.
The challenge, a part of the college’s Style Design & Merchandising program, focuses on creating adaptive clothes tailor-made for youngsters with disabilities, together with scoliosis, spina bifida and people with prosthetic limbs or who use wheelchairs.
The scholars launched into this journey by beginning a challenge of their mass manufacturing class, taught by professor Remy Odukomaiya.
Professor Odukomaiya’s inspiration for this initiative got here when she obtained bored with leaving the scholar tasks “simply on the cabinets,” and wished to show college students about neighborhood engagement.
“They’re studying about mass manufacturing, however how do they assist another person? How do they perceive that style design is not only about New York style however how will we breathe in after we say, very inclusive? What does that really imply?” Odukomaiya mentioned. “Then I spoke with the hospital’s individuals they usually instructed me what have been the wants.”
This firsthand expertise allowed her to have interaction college students to create clothes that aren’t solely sensible but in addition uplifting, incorporating fashionable traits and vibrant colours.
“And that’s how we took place these designs right here, the place you may see that the highest and backside may work for somebody with Halo, with spinal bifida (or) with the solid on their leg,” Odukomaiya mentioned.
For the second consecutive yr, this system has grown, now involving 20 college students who’ve developed three clothes units.
These designs seamlessly mix fashion and performance, addressing the particular wants of sufferers present process therapies like halo-gravity traction, officers mentioned. On the higher a part of the clothes, a few of them embody magnetic zippers or magnetic buttons, to facilitate the change of garments.
The scholars’ objective is to supply clothes that not solely serves its objective but in addition brings pleasure and confidence to its wearers, the professor added.
“It is very important preserve their confidence as it’s, you may see simply within the interactions, they’re assured youngsters however how do you make that confidence keep proper and never drop?” Odukomaiya mentioned. “This is likely one of the objectives.”
The enlargement of this program was made doable by a donation from the Trinity Valley Quilters’ Guild, enabling the college to increase its attain to extra households this yr. College officers mentioned one other objective of this initiative is to find a way and attain extra hospitals, households and sufferers who want it.