Apparel design students in the department of clothing, textiles and interior design at The University of Alabama have learned to create clothing for people with physical disabilities as part of a $300,000 project grant.
The project, UADA: Building Adaptive Apparel Competencies into Higher Education Curriculum, is a collaborative project with UA and University of North Carolina at Greensboro that incorporates adaptive apparel marketing and design into courses.
UA apparel design students worked alongside the school’s adaptive student athletes to design custom clothes that fit their needs. Students interviewed the athletes to learn about their clothing preferences and how they can design more functional pieces.
“They got to know the athletes, and they talked to them about their lifestyle, their choices in clothing, where they shop, what they do day to day, what's missing from their wardrobe. Then, more importantly, when they find clothing that they like, what are some of those pain points and problem areas that might affect them, being in a wheelchair or having some sort of adaptability,” said Brian Taylor, co-project director for the grant project.
The students took that information and worked to create the clothing. Part of the grant money was used to purchase fabric and trims for the students to work with. Innovative designs were fused into the pieces to make them more practical for the adaptive athletes.
“We had a lot of students work on developing certain types of magnetic closures and hidden magnetic snaps using bungee cords for helping secure certain areas in the body,” said Taylor.
Athletes were invited into the studio to provide insight to the designers. Taylor said the student’s discussed things like colors, aesthetics, fabrics and how the garments reacted to wheelchairs.
The student designers finished their projects back in December. The athletes modeled the finished clothing and were able to keep the custom pieces.
“They really loved it. They were excited about it. A lot of them were all bragging on each other on their looks,” said Taylor. “They really got into the photoshoot, because of the professional lighting and music.”
Taylor said this project allowed his students to learn more about the market surrounding adaptive clothing so that they can incorporate it into their careers.
“Two of the main goals for is to foster awareness of the importance of adaptive Merchandising and apparel competencies, and then to cultivate those competencies so our students are prepared for when they graduate,” he explained.
Through this project, Taylor said he hopes UA will be able to develop a certification in adaptive apparel merchandising and design. More information on the project can be found here.
The project, UADA: Building Adaptive Apparel Competencies into Higher Education Curriculum, is a collaborative project with UA and University of North Carolina at Greensboro that incorporates adaptive apparel marketing and design into courses.
UA apparel design students worked alongside the school’s adaptive student athletes to design custom clothes that fit their needs. Students interviewed the athletes to learn about their clothing preferences and how they can design more functional pieces.
“They got to know the athletes, and they talked to them about their lifestyle, their choices in clothing, where they shop, what they do day to day, what's missing from their wardrobe. Then, more importantly, when they find clothing that they like, what are some of those pain points and problem areas that might affect them, being in a wheelchair or having some sort of adaptability,” said Brian Taylor, co-project director for the grant project.
The students took that information and worked to create the clothing. Part of the grant money was used to purchase fabric and trims for the students to work with. Innovative designs were fused into the pieces to make them more practical for the adaptive athletes.
“We had a lot of students work on developing certain types of magnetic closures and hidden magnetic snaps using bungee cords for helping secure certain areas in the body,” said Taylor.
Athletes were invited into the studio to provide insight to the designers. Taylor said the student’s discussed things like colors, aesthetics, fabrics and how the garments reacted to wheelchairs.
The student designers finished their projects back in December. The athletes modeled the finished clothing and were able to keep the custom pieces.
“They really loved it. They were excited about it. A lot of them were all bragging on each other on their looks,” said Taylor. “They really got into the photoshoot, because of the professional lighting and music.”
Taylor said this project allowed his students to learn more about the market surrounding adaptive clothing so that they can incorporate it into their careers.
“Two of the main goals for is to foster awareness of the importance of adaptive Merchandising and apparel competencies, and then to cultivate those competencies so our students are prepared for when they graduate,” he explained.
Through this project, Taylor said he hopes UA will be able to develop a certification in adaptive apparel merchandising and design. More information on the project can be found here.
