A one-day design workshop was organised by the Helen Hamlyn Centre and the Department of Fashion & Textiles at the Royal College of Art (RCA) in collaboration with the College of Occupational Therapists (COT).
Held at COT’s headquarters in Southwark, London its aims were ambitious - to bring together OTs, designers, manufacturers and disabled consumers to explore the innovative possibilities of new materials in the design of clothing for extreme needs, and come up with new design directions.
Clothing is an area identified by disabled people as crucial to their feelings of self-esteem and one with great potential for innovative approaches, particularly in relation to new materials. Yet it has been unjustifiably neglected in the context of inclusive design. As a result, events having this theme are rare. The 40 places at the workshop were filled by delegates from all over the UK and as far afield as Finland and Sweden. The delegates were a mix of occupational therapists, clothing manufacturers and textile specialists, designers, design educators and disabled consumers. This ensured a cross-disciplinary.
After an introduction by Dr Lynne Goodacre of the University of Central Lancashire, the morning was devoted to expert presentations. Anne Toomey, Deputy Head of Textiles at the RCA spoke on the innovative applications for new materials technology in the medical field with an emphasis on intelligent and responsive surfaces that could enhance patient safety through contamination-aware fabrics. She is currently working on an interdisciplinary project addressing the needs of future healthcare with particular relevance for 24-hour chronic wound care management.
New materials expert Ros Hibbert of Line Consultants, works with international fibre, textile and apparel manufacturers on textile product development, branding and marketing. She is the author of ‘Textile Innovation’ a publication examining new and unusual fibre sources, functionality, sustainability and interactivity in textiles. Ros Hibbert spoke of how the properties of smart materials can be used both therapeutically and to enhance functionality.
Julia Cassim of the Helen Hamlyn Centre addressed issues of stigma and how developments in performance sportswear, computer-aided production techniques and the possibility to embed technology promises a new generation of ‘smart wearables’. These could combine mainstream aesthetics with the functional advantages of new materials in order to appeal to consumers across the spectrum of age and ability.
Next to speak was Caterina Radvan, a designer specialising in seamless knitwear that has inherent qualities of stretch and drape that allow for comfort and ease of dressing combining efficient production with minimum hand finishing. Caterina’s approach to knitwear design avoids traditional pattern cutting blocks that cater to conventional body shapes. Instead each garment is considered as an abstract shape whose three-dimensional form is determined by the shape of the body wearing it.
The final speaker was Sian Barrie of Dressability, an organisation that adapts clothing for disabled people. An experienced dressmaker, Sian is also a carer. She gave her practical perspective on clothing and disability. She has also developed a teaching module on clothing and disability for students of nursing in partnership with the Faculty of Social Care at the University of Bath.
Delegates were divided into four teams and joined by four consumers with disabilities and four RCA Textiles students. Their respective roles were to help the teams brainstorm and visualise new designs.
The results were diverse: menswear with ingenious magnetic fastenings for Tom Yelland, President of the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists, which he could put on unaided; an attractive but durable evening glove for a wheelchair user who complained of the damage caused to the sleeves of garments by the dirt and friction that results from propelling her chair. For Sally Underwood, a designer with rheumatoid arthritis, her team designed a two-piece wraparound swimsuit with simplified fastenings. For Alison Julal, who is partially sighted, her team came up with a set of modular solutions to address her need for security when she is outside and for stylistic cues on garments to ensure that her clothes are correctly worn. The swimsuit team won both best idea and best presentation.
The format of combining contextual study with actual design work jointly facilitated by designers and users proved popular with delegates. A comment in the survey taken at the conclusion of the workshop noted: ‘It has made me realise that thinking about inclusive design can be quite simple but make a big difference.’
