G.R.I.P.

Regan Cella, Mary Giuffrida, Kaia Patel, Carwynn Rivera

We aim to address the issue of non-inclusive fashion by developing a multi-faceted tool that will empower individuals with motor/dexterity disabilities to wear “normal” clothing more effortlessly.

What research did we do?

• Similar tools exist but our goal was to combine them to create a sort-of multi-tool

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• This issue was important for our to address because it affects such a large number of people. Adaptable fashion exists but is very far from being widespread and excludes the disabled community from trending fashion

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• Our project aims to help anyone with reduced motor skills who may struggle with the daily task of getting dressed

• Adaptable fashion is growing but it has yet to truly meet the needs to the community. Many disabled people turn to diy solutions and are thus excluded from the fashion community

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• Our hope is that the fashion community will reach a point where these tools are not needed. However, until that goal is met we hope to help close a gap between the disabled community and the fashion community by making fashion more accessible

Design Journals

How did we start?

About the size of an expo marker and made of silicon for an easier grip

Cylindrical with 2 different ends

• One wire end, that will aid with buttons
• One with 2 ellipses cut into it (holes that straw goes through), that will aid with zippers

Initial Fusion360 Design

This is our initial Fusion360 design of our product

Contains all major components of our design

• Cross shaped hole, where zipper can be put through and user can easily pull zipper down
• Grip with two small holes
• attach a U shaped thin wire to be slipped through a button hole and used to pull the button through

Final Fusion 360

Potential reliability/robustness

• Made out of plastic and metal wire and silicon - should last a few years

Potential cost

• After analyzing the market of similar devices, we hope to make our cost maximum $7, our aim would never be to profit off this product but instead to make it available to those who would benefit from it for the lowest possible cost to make it as accessible as possible.

SWOT Analysis

STRENGTHS

It has dual functionality

WEAKNESSES

Still requires dexterity in order to operate.

Many design improvement opportunities

OPPORTUNITIES

Fashion companies moving away from zippers and buttons

THREATS

What have we concluded?

What will change for our target population as a result of this opportunity?

While it will still be encouraged that fashion reaches a point where these substitutions must be made, we hope to close a gap found in devices made to improve dexterity by creating a multi-use tool that those in our target population can use on a daily basis and better integrate into the “normal” fashion sphere.

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Sources

• Brown, Keah. “'Disabled People Love Clothes Too'.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 26 July 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/07/26/style/functional-fashion.html.
• “Getting Dressed.” Parkinson's Foundation, Parkinson's Foundation, www.parkinson.org/Living-with-Parkinsons/Managing-Parkinsons/Activities-of-Daily-Living/Getting-Dressed.
• Groer, Annie. “For People with Disabilities, Finding Clothing That Is Stylish and Meets Their Needs Is Getting Easier.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 3 Aug. 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/health/for-people-with-disabilities-finding-clothing-that-is-stylish-and-meets-their-needs-is-getting-easier/2019/08/02/1889990a-87cf-11e9-98c1-e945ae5db8fb_story.html.
• Matchar, Emily. “Designing ‘Adaptive Clothing’ For Those With Special Needs.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 8 May 2018, www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/designing-adaptive-clothing-for-those-with-special-needs-180968976/.
• O'Connor, Tamison. “How Can Fashion Better Address the Needs of Disabled People?” The Business of Fashion, The Business of Fashion, 16 Mar. 2019, www.businessoffashion.com/articles/news-analysis/how-can-fashion-better-address-the-needs-of-disabled-people.