1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:06,360 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey 2 00:00:06,440 --> 00:00:09,119 Speaker 1: brain Stuff, Lauren Bolgebaum here with a classic from the 3 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:13,360 Speaker 1: podcast archives. We touch on the fashion industry occasionally on 4 00:00:13,360 --> 00:00:17,759 Speaker 1: this show. After all, it touches on art, material science, history, 5 00:00:17,960 --> 00:00:20,799 Speaker 1: and lots more of the subjects that we cover, but 6 00:00:20,880 --> 00:00:25,600 Speaker 1: today's classic focuses in on a specific issue, the representation, 7 00:00:25,880 --> 00:00:28,680 Speaker 1: or the lack thereof, of the interests of people with 8 00:00:28,720 --> 00:00:34,400 Speaker 1: disabilities within the industry. Hey brain Stuff, Lauren Vogebam Here, 9 00:00:34,880 --> 00:00:37,319 Speaker 1: The fashion industry has some catching up to do when 10 00:00:37,360 --> 00:00:40,920 Speaker 1: it comes to considering people with disabilities. That's according to 11 00:00:40,920 --> 00:00:44,160 Speaker 1: the results of a recent study which surveyed thirteen people 12 00:00:44,240 --> 00:00:47,600 Speaker 1: with mobility impairments. The findings showed that about half of 13 00:00:47,600 --> 00:00:51,200 Speaker 1: the respondents were unable to attend events like weddings, school dances, 14 00:00:51,240 --> 00:00:53,960 Speaker 1: and job interviews, or even to work out because they 15 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:58,560 Speaker 1: couldn't find appropriate clothing. Alison Cable, lead study author and 16 00:00:58,600 --> 00:01:01,840 Speaker 1: assistant professor of Health side in the University of Missouri's 17 00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:04,720 Speaker 1: School of Health Professions, set in a press release, the 18 00:01:04,840 --> 00:01:09,000 Speaker 1: clothing industry continues to exclusively cater to able bodied individuals, 19 00:01:09,280 --> 00:01:11,760 Speaker 1: despite the fact that people with disabilities often miss out 20 00:01:11,760 --> 00:01:15,800 Speaker 1: on important life events due to clothing related problems. The 21 00:01:15,800 --> 00:01:18,320 Speaker 1: study authors call on the fashion industry to take the 22 00:01:18,440 --> 00:01:22,480 Speaker 1: millions of Americans living with disabilities into consideration when creating clothes. 23 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:25,960 Speaker 1: They wrote, the design fields and apparel industry could play 24 00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:29,360 Speaker 1: a vital role in helping people with mobility disabilities navigate 25 00:01:29,440 --> 00:01:33,680 Speaker 1: these barriers. Some fashion designers have already heated the call. 26 00:01:34,400 --> 00:01:37,679 Speaker 1: Stephanie Alvez is the founder, CEO, and designer of a 27 00:01:37,800 --> 00:01:41,000 Speaker 1: b L Denim, which provides quality denom genes for people 28 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:44,800 Speaker 1: with limited dexterity and mobility or with sensory processing issues 29 00:01:44,840 --> 00:01:47,400 Speaker 1: like autism. She made the leap into the world of 30 00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:50,600 Speaker 1: adaptive fashion after her step sister became a wheelchair user 31 00:01:50,680 --> 00:01:54,480 Speaker 1: eight years ago. Elvis explains she wasn't getting dressed much. 32 00:01:54,640 --> 00:01:56,440 Speaker 1: She looked on the web and all she could find 33 00:01:56,520 --> 00:01:59,840 Speaker 1: was geriatric clothing. So I started a Janes line because 34 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:02,920 Speaker 1: or one said jeans were what they wanted most. Elves 35 00:02:02,960 --> 00:02:06,480 Speaker 1: modifies designs to meet the various needs of people with disabilities. 36 00:02:06,920 --> 00:02:09,280 Speaker 1: She said. Someone who sits in a wheelchair all day 37 00:02:09,280 --> 00:02:12,400 Speaker 1: can be prone to pressure sores. Seems can push and hurt, 38 00:02:12,639 --> 00:02:14,680 Speaker 1: and pressure sores can land you in the hospital for 39 00:02:14,760 --> 00:02:19,400 Speaker 1: three months, so she strategically places seems to prevent pressure sores, 40 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:21,600 Speaker 1: and offers pants that are cut higher in the back 41 00:02:21,639 --> 00:02:24,520 Speaker 1: to prevent them from slipping too low, a common complaint 42 00:02:24,560 --> 00:02:27,680 Speaker 1: of wheelchair users. She offers one style with a zipper 43 00:02:27,720 --> 00:02:29,880 Speaker 1: from the waist to the hips, so the whole front 44 00:02:29,919 --> 00:02:32,400 Speaker 1: of the pants can come down. That makes it easier 45 00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:35,640 Speaker 1: for people with catheters, feeding tubes, or clostby bags to use. 46 00:02:36,440 --> 00:02:38,880 Speaker 1: Best of all, anyone can wear her designs, which is 47 00:02:38,919 --> 00:02:41,920 Speaker 1: an important distinction for those who find traditional clothing for 48 00:02:42,040 --> 00:02:45,920 Speaker 1: people with disabilities to be stigmatizing. Alvis said, when I 49 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:48,880 Speaker 1: wear the jeans, people don't know I'm wearing an adaptive gene. 50 00:02:50,080 --> 00:02:52,839 Speaker 1: Magdalena trout Chon, who lives in have her Straw, New York, 51 00:02:52,919 --> 00:02:55,840 Speaker 1: has used a wheelchair for twenty years. She blogs at 52 00:02:55,919 --> 00:02:59,400 Speaker 1: Pretty Cripple and knows well the challenges of finding fashionable 53 00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:02,760 Speaker 1: items that are also wheelchair friendly. One of her pet 54 00:03:02,760 --> 00:03:05,520 Speaker 1: peeves is shirts with cups that are too long. These 55 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:08,079 Speaker 1: can get dirty when they rub against the wheelchairs tires. 56 00:03:08,480 --> 00:03:11,480 Speaker 1: Another problem is coats, something also singled out by many 57 00:03:11,520 --> 00:03:14,799 Speaker 1: respondents in the survey. We mentioned earlier. Coats can get 58 00:03:14,800 --> 00:03:17,720 Speaker 1: stuck in the wheelchair wheels because they're so bulky. True 59 00:03:17,800 --> 00:03:20,280 Speaker 1: Chan said, it's really hard to tuck it under your butt, 60 00:03:20,360 --> 00:03:22,560 Speaker 1: so you look like a cocoon shape. What would be 61 00:03:22,600 --> 00:03:24,880 Speaker 1: great is if designers could create two slits up the 62 00:03:24,960 --> 00:03:28,800 Speaker 1: back like a guys business jacket. Truchon is hopeful that 63 00:03:28,840 --> 00:03:31,600 Speaker 1: the fashion industry will become more cognizant of the needs 64 00:03:31,600 --> 00:03:34,880 Speaker 1: of the disabled community. She said, I think people think 65 00:03:35,040 --> 00:03:37,880 Speaker 1: that maybe disabled people don't care about their appearance, but 66 00:03:38,160 --> 00:03:40,160 Speaker 1: I feel like because I take the effort to look good, 67 00:03:40,200 --> 00:03:43,120 Speaker 1: I make people smile. She reports taking a lot of 68 00:03:43,160 --> 00:03:45,840 Speaker 1: care with choosing her shoes because people always notice them, 69 00:03:46,040 --> 00:03:49,200 Speaker 1: and her hats because quote, your face is the first 70 00:03:49,240 --> 00:03:54,000 Speaker 1: thing a person sees. Another route for customers with disabilities 71 00:03:54,040 --> 00:03:56,320 Speaker 1: who can afford it might be made to order clothing. 72 00:03:56,840 --> 00:03:59,120 Speaker 1: S E n E is a custom made men's wear 73 00:03:59,200 --> 00:04:01,960 Speaker 1: line that serves and of all body types, including those 74 00:04:01,960 --> 00:04:05,600 Speaker 1: with limbs, of various sizes. Founder and CEO Ray Lee 75 00:04:05,720 --> 00:04:08,680 Speaker 1: said in an email interview, it's a very tiny subset 76 00:04:08,680 --> 00:04:11,320 Speaker 1: of our customer base, but it's definitely a meaningful one 77 00:04:11,360 --> 00:04:16,000 Speaker 1: for us. Others make do with options in stores. Chris 78 00:04:16,040 --> 00:04:18,760 Speaker 1: en Selmo who lives in West Hartford, Connecticut, has a 79 00:04:18,839 --> 00:04:22,279 Speaker 1: form of muscular distrophy called Miyoshi myopathy. He looks for 80 00:04:22,320 --> 00:04:24,839 Speaker 1: pants that are wide enough to accommodate his leg braces, 81 00:04:24,880 --> 00:04:27,400 Speaker 1: and four shirts or jackets he can button up rather 82 00:04:27,440 --> 00:04:30,359 Speaker 1: than pulling over his head because he has lost arm strength. 83 00:04:30,640 --> 00:04:32,960 Speaker 1: He said via email, I see things heading in the 84 00:04:33,040 --> 00:04:35,320 Speaker 1: right direction now that people are starting to realize that 85 00:04:35,360 --> 00:04:39,159 Speaker 1: this is a need and an underserved population. Advocates for 86 00:04:39,240 --> 00:04:42,360 Speaker 1: adaptive and inclusive fashion are starting to make more noise 87 00:04:42,400 --> 00:04:45,640 Speaker 1: on behalf of the disabled population, and some retailers are 88 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:49,040 Speaker 1: taking note. For example, Walmart dot com carries a b 89 00:04:49,240 --> 00:04:52,400 Speaker 1: L Denom items and the Inclusive Fashion Design Collective was 90 00:04:52,440 --> 00:04:56,640 Speaker 1: formed to improve accessibility to attractive and functional fashion items 91 00:04:56,680 --> 00:04:59,840 Speaker 1: in diverse communities. Tommy Hilfiger also has a line of 92 00:04:59,880 --> 00:05:02,480 Speaker 1: a apt of clothing for kids. In addition to the 93 00:05:02,520 --> 00:05:05,640 Speaker 1: efforts of individual designers, there is the Open Style Lab, 94 00:05:05,880 --> 00:05:09,560 Speaker 1: a nonprofit public service project founded at the Massachusetts Institute 95 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:13,680 Speaker 1: of Technology. It runs a ten week summer program where designers, engineers, 96 00:05:13,680 --> 00:05:17,080 Speaker 1: and therapists get together to create clothes for people with disabilities. 97 00:05:17,600 --> 00:05:20,200 Speaker 1: It also offers an accredited course at Parsons School of 98 00:05:20,240 --> 00:05:22,720 Speaker 1: Design in New York City, and the lab was part 99 00:05:22,720 --> 00:05:26,799 Speaker 1: of the White House Fashion Show celebrating inclusive design, assist 100 00:05:26,800 --> 00:05:30,680 Speaker 1: of Technology and prosthetics, as was a b L Denum 101 00:05:30,680 --> 00:05:34,000 Speaker 1: Open Style Lab. Executive director Grace June said via email, 102 00:05:34,279 --> 00:05:36,960 Speaker 1: our mission is to make style accessible to people of 103 00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:39,919 Speaker 1: all abilities. While there is a growing number of companies 104 00:05:39,960 --> 00:05:42,760 Speaker 1: in this market, it's still a niche selection of available 105 00:05:42,800 --> 00:05:46,240 Speaker 1: clothing that is specifically aimed at people with disabilities. Any 106 00:05:46,279 --> 00:05:49,320 Speaker 1: individual with or without a disability should have the ability 107 00:05:49,360 --> 00:05:57,960 Speaker 1: to express themselves. Today's episode is based on the article 108 00:05:58,200 --> 00:06:02,080 Speaker 1: Clothing industries narrow focus sidelines people with disabilities on how 109 00:06:02,120 --> 00:06:05,080 Speaker 1: stuff Works dot Com, written by Leo Hoyt. Brain Stuff 110 00:06:05,120 --> 00:06:06,960 Speaker 1: is production of I Heart Radio and partnership with how 111 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:09,240 Speaker 1: stuff works dot Com and is produced by Tyler Klang. 112 00:06:09,800 --> 00:06:12,280 Speaker 1: Four more podcasts my heart Radio, visit the i heart 113 00:06:12,360 --> 00:06:14,920 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 114 00:06:14,920 --> 00:06:15,640 Speaker 1: favorite shows.