‘Softable’

During the summer of 2018, Open Style Labs a non-profit dedicated to creating accessible fashion for people with all types of disabilities partnered with NYC’s Riverside Premiere Rehabilitation Center & Healing Center to find solutions for their clients. The theme “Aging and disability” was aimed at bringing seven multidisciplinary teams to collaborate and co-create custom solutions for each individual client who had developed issues which contributed to their limited mobility. Our team (Team Robert) was made up of Bolor Amgalan(Designer), Alyssa Brandofino(Athletic Trainer), Robert(Client), and myself (Design Engineer) who worked together with Robert to find a custom solution to return his ability to independently dress himself and boost his confidence.

My Role

As the design engineer I collaborated with my team by designing both physical and digital components that took Roberts user-journey and experience of dressing himself to find a custom solution that worked for him.

A component I contributed with was the creation of custom weave-able 3D printed magnetic snaps that assisted Robert with his struggles with limited dexterity and inability to use buttons, velcro, or zippers. The magnetic straps/snaps also secured the straps to the garment after Robert successfully donned his garment and kept them in place where he was able to reach them without struggle.