Fashion photographer Jerris Madison thought his titanium rod leg spelled the end of his glamour days when doctors amputated his leg four years ago in a battle with bone cancer.
But in 2016 designers Alleles, a small Canadian company, spotted a photo of him wearing his prosthetic on Instagram and sent him their latest product for him to try out: one of their dazzling, colourful array of prosthetic covers. “When I opened the box, I felt like it was Christmas,” 45-year-old Mr. Madison said. “Having that leg cover really boosted my self-esteem.”
Walking art
Walking around in just a bare titanium rod used to make him feel self-conscious. “People would stare and know I was an amputee. Now, they look at me as a walking piece of art.” Mr. Madison isn’t the only person with a disability who has seen their daily life improve thanks to a growing market of products designed to make things easier, but also look chic and stylish at the same time.
An ongoing exhibition at the Cooper Hewitt design museum in New York is showcasing some of these new products, from the simple to the high-tech.
“In the last few years there has been a proliferation of new design, very functional and aesthetically desirable products for people with all sort of disabilities,” says Cara McCarty, curator of the exhibition.
Besides the tattooed-style covers made by Alleles, which start at $375, the exhibition shows Nike “FlyEase” sneakers, first made for a student with cerebral palsy, with a wraparound zipper and adjustable strap to make getting them on and off easier.
There is also a walking stick, made in the colour of your choice, which can be propped up easily against a wall without falling over, on sale for around $100.
A hearing aid looks like a giant earring. A bracelet is connected to a smartphone GPS app that guides the blind and tracks obstacles above the knee. Another item is a jacket, included in a new Target clothing line for disabled children that comes apart at both sides making for easy wear and removal.
The key to success for lots of these products, says Caroline Baumann, director of the museum, is that they are so practical.
When Target designers conceived of the jacket “they were thinking about the child on the autism spectrum that might have difficulty putting on their jacket, but what they are finding is that people of all abilities are buying that jacket,” she said.
Applicable for all
“I would love that jacket for my three-year-old because its a fight every morning to put him in his parka,” Ms. Baumann laughed.
Keith Kirkland, a former designer at Calvin Klein who co-conceived the vibrating GPS “Wayband” bracelet, agrees.
If the bracelet was tested on the blind, the idea in launching it for sale later this year, is that “anyone” can pick it up “to figure out which way to go”.
More cross-board appeal also means products can be more affordable.
Matt Kroeker, whose small Canadian firm Top & Derby created the non-falling walking stick, says the idea is to create products that aren’t simply practical but which people enjoy using.
