ADAPTIVE CLOTHING

Fashion, OT collaborate to help real-world clients

Story and photos by Alyson Shields, WC ‘13

Adaptive clothing, which is designed for those with physical challenges, is becoming more mainstream. However, it is still challenging for many to find pieces that fit well and also have the right look.

That’s why Brenau fashion design undergraduates teamed up with occupational therapy graduate students in the fall to create adaptive clothing for young adults who use wheelchairs. One of those clients was Josh Cusick, who requested a three-piece suit.

“It’s been as smooth as I could ever hope it to be,” Cusick said of the process. “You know, there weren’t many bumps in the road, I guess you could say. Because when you’re designing adaptive clothing, everyone is different, so it’s really not one-size-fits-all.”

The five student groups each worked with a single client, a resident of Champion’s Place, an accessible home for young adults with disabilities in metro Atlanta. In each group, OT students first assessed the client’s needs, then a fashion design student designed and created an outfit.

The groups worked together throughout the semester to create the customized outfits, then detailed what they learned in class presentations at Brenau’s Norcross campus.

“I think the biggest thing was learning from the client about her perspective about adaptive clothing,” Lauren Neal, an OT student, said. “She told us about things we would have never thought of specifically, like a magnet for her zipper. That was a really difficult thing for her, so we wouldn’t have known that without her perspective.”

One common detail the students had to change was the depth of the seat of the pants, so the garment was more comfortable. Designs included different types of fasteners and reimagined garment structures to suit medical devices. Each group customized the outfits to make them fashionable and functional.

Fashion design senior Dennisse Rodriguez said the task challenged her.

“I was kind of scared that I wasn’t going to be able to make adaptive clothing for someone who obviously needs it,” she said. “But the more I met up with the client, and the more things I did, I became more comfortable with what I needed to change throughout the process.”

Director of Fashion Programs Charity Armstead and Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy Sarah Shirley Pullani led the combined project. It is the first time the two programs have collaborated on this type of project.

Brenau students have partnered with Champion’s Place since it opened in 2020, providing assessments, workshops and activities.