Universal Materiality Exhibition Design
A Design Exhibition for Aging and Disability
Open Style Lab’s February exhibit Universal Materiality: A Collaborative Design for Aging and Disability at the Parsons School of Design displayed clothing solutions created during our 2018 incubator summer program for a population that was both aging and disabled. In collaboration with various faculty research and Sour Studios, OSL identified common threads where clothing and products can support greater independence and reflected their style and identity.
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Seven clothing designs for and with long term rehab residents at The Riverside Premier Rehabilitation and Healing Center (NYC). Each garment was developed with residents to live a more independent and expressive lifestyle. Stylish silhouettes, 3d-printed buttons, and body scanning technology were all used to augment the design process. Smart textiles like 3d-printed fabrics were applied to clothing designs to assist caregivers and elderly at the rehab with easier dressing. This material application demonstrates how wearable technologies can promote healthier living and to raise awareness of how inclusively designed clothing enables greater innovation. Furthermore, a collaboration with the architecture studio, SOUR Studios, allowed Open Style Lab to create custom body forms to address the lack of diversity for such clothing.