Fashion Forward: Part 1

The fashion industry has a lack of inclusivity when it comes to people with physical disabilities. Nearly 1 in 50 people live with paralysis and approximately 5.4 million people in the United States are paralyzed. Everyday clothing poses particular challenges for the individuals with limited mobility or strength. Our community partner (we will call him John) is a C4 quadriplegic and uses a motorized wheelchair for mobility. Patients with C4 injuries have full head and neck mobility with full paralysis of arms and legs. Clothing that is already on the market do not cater towards individual needs and are generalized designs as most adaptive clothing on the market is designed for those with mobility and grip strength. There is little out there for people with paralysis, especially quadriplegic people. Clothes designed to be adaptive also tend to be not fashion friendly and excludes individuality. They are often structureless and have poncho-like designs that can alienate the individual in day-to-day life. Fashion Forward is aiming to create a piece of outerwear that is more comfortable, stylish, and easier to don to ensure that our community partner is able to independently maneuver the clothing.

Our group started by basic brainstorming and doing market research before we were able to meet with our community partner. We had some background information about our community partner so we were able to use that as we began. We first spent time analyzing accessible clothing products that are already on the market and determined what was good about those products and what the limitations / cons were.

Fashion Forward Sewing workshop 10/10/2021

Due to all of us on the team having varying sewing experience, some significantly more than others, we decided to run a fun type of workshop where everyone on our team learned basic sewing skills. Where we worked in the ugli we brought in our two sewing machines so each of us would make their own tote bag to keep and use. One of our members went to the salvation army and found some scrap fabrics we can work with and repurpose making one of a kind unique tote bags. We familiarize ourselves with the process pattern drafting, cutting and working with the materials and using the sewing machine. So that each member of our team can confidently help construct a garment in the future. This was a very productive workshop where our members enjoyed a craft activity and even found out how useful sewing skills are and will continue to use it outside of our Medlaunch project.

In our initial meeting with our community partner, we gained information about what design requirements would be necessary for our project and discussed possible approaches that could work well. This discussion yielded ideas such as incorporating loops and magnets into the fabric for easier self-adjustability, as well as creating a pattern that allows for larger sleeves. In relation to necessary design requirements, we discussed the importance of a hood that is accessible because of its ability to trap in heat and to improve overall comfort. We also noted the necessity of using a comfortable material since the piece of outerwear will be worn for multiple hours at a time. Finally, we brainstormed ways to incorporate the hood and the sleeves in a way that would benefit other aspects of the jacket, such as using a rotating hood to clasp the back together and attaching the sleeves in a way that would allow the jacket to be put on from front to back to align well with our community partner’s range of motion.

After meeting with our community partner and doing market research,we created an initial design. We decided on making a hoodie-style jacket, with specific design modifications for our community partner. Some of these features included a hood that is sewn onto one side and then magnetizes on the other side once the hoodie is on. The hood will also contain polyester boning to give the hood structure. This design allows our community partner to have a hood to keep his neck and face warm, while also allowing John to put it on independently, unlike a traditional hood. In our design process, the hood was the most challenging part of the idea. We also designed the jacket to have an open back to be put in from front to back so that our community partner can independently take it on and off. In general, we want our design to be very open with plenty of space in both the body and sleeves to prevent constricting material and make it easier to put on given our community partners limited mobility. As you can see in the images below, we implemented these design elements into our first two prototypes, making improvements each time. As we continue to improve our design, we may alter our ideas to maximize function and comfort.

Once we finished that, we were able to debrief on what was good and bad and how we could fix it. We made most of the changes we wanted to in our second prototype, which turned out a lot better than our first. We then were able to share our progress to peers and our community partner at our first design review. This helped us exponentially as they all gave us great feedback (especially our community partner who holds the most important opinion!). Now, we have different ideas of how we want to tackle each part of the jacket and we know how to prototype in a faster way.

For design review 2, we want to make sure that our product is catered to our community partner. With feedback from our partner, we now know what limitations he has in terms of mobility, but also what sorts of methods would be most comfortable for John. One thing we will consider is the fact that his wheelchair has a headrest, meaning our original design for the hood might not work. The boning might be uncomfortable and not great for our partner’s neck. Also, we will consider design options that take into consideration his headrest. With our shelly design, our second prototype, our community partner suggested we consider the lateral support pads that come out from under his armpit and stick out around the depth of his rib cage on his wheelchair. We want to make sure that the fabric will not gather around the lateral support pads. In addition we want to make sure that the sleeves do not have cuffs so that it’s easy to put on for our partner. For design review 2, we might use existing sweatshirts to complete our desired requirements so that the structure of a traditional jacket or hoodie is still there. In addition, we can try out more prototypes and designs because we won’t have to spend as much time making the jacket, but rather more time modifying it.

During Design Review 1, we received a lot of valuable feedback about our presentation and prototypes. We realized that we should keep our needs statement more open so we don’t limit our range of potential solutions. We also received feedback about quantifying our design requirements. We will find ways to quantify the comfort, warmth, and durability of our design. This will allow us to better assess whether our design meets the requirements. Our reviewers also gave us many great ideas and additional things to consider when designing our garment. We learned that our current hood design may not be very easy for our community partner to use because it requires John to lift his arms. One reviewer suggested a hood that could be pushed up from the front or using drawstrings to help raise the hood. We plan to prototype a new hood design that can be pushed over the head from the front. They also suggested altering existing jackets and hoodies to make it easier to develop and test more ideas. Our community partner helped us hone in on how we can cater our design to his needs. We learned about his wheelchair in particular, which has a headrest and lateral support pads. We need to make sure our garment does not interfere with these features. For example, we may use more flexible boning to make sure it doesn’t press against his neck when he leans his head against the headrest. Or, we may cut the fabric so it doesn’t bunch up on the lateral supports. Our community partner emphasized designing sleeves so they don’t slip off his arms. We will aim to create a more structured design that keeps the sleeves on his shoulders. He also gave us feedback on our first prototype, which features a completely open back. He wants a garment that keeps his neck warm. For our future prototypes, we will ensure that there is fabric covering the neck and upper back to provide greater insulation. Going forward, we will definitely keep all of this feedback in mind to refine and evaluate our designs.

Last week we just finished our first design review after completing two prototypes! To celebrate we are getting boba for this week’s Sunday meeting while we’re working on modifying the hood aspect of our garment. For the past few weeks we have been meeting in our PM’s apartment and the Michigan Union to get this point in our adaptive clothing line project.