Emily Noelle Morabito

BFA Fashion Design Systems and Society

Updated: July 24th

Sponsored by: Open Style Lab, AARP, the New School Design for Aging Fund

Remedy is a line of adaptive activewear designed to invite people of all abilities to move freely and foster connection with the innately wild self.

I first realized the need for adaptive clothing when my Grandfather, who was struggling with Parkinson’s Disease, was losing the ability to dress himself. My first collaboration was with ‘Pop’, designing a shirt with diagonal seaming and magnets so that he could dress himself standing or from his wheelchair. Remedy was born from collaboration with individuals who identify as having varying physical disabilities. To realize the collection I developed a technique of garment construction called kinetic draping. This technique allows me to patternmake directly onto the body in positioned forms so that garments can be molded to bodies of different shapes and sizes in ways that best support movement. Through the use of kinetic draping and alternative closures I have designed a line of clothing that makes getting dressed easy and fun while providing the necessary functionalities of activewear.

Accessibility is achieved through strategic seaming that makes getting dressed easier, closures that are inclusive of all levels of dexterity, and hidden features such as waistband loops and hidden catheter pockets. Garments are fit to bodies of different shapes and sizes to best accommodate movement through kinetic draping techniques.

There is no existing clothing label universally designed and marketed to meet the needs of able and disabled bodies alike. What is especially lacking in the fashion industry is activewear that celebrates disabled and aging bodies and their need to move, play, and adventure. This process has been an exploration in codesign and its necessity in universal design. More than anything I want to emphasize that this is our work, not mine.

Emily Noelle Morabito is a multidisciplinary artist and designer seeking solutions that address barriers of disability and the consequences of climate change. Her work relates the human body and elements of nature by creating worlds in which the body can move freely and explore its surrounding environments. Through the innovation of kinetic draping processes, she has pushed patternmaking beyond tradition to accommodate bodies outside of the traditional fashion figure. With empathy and a mission to share her love for the natural world, Emily Noelle advocates for movement in bodies of all abilities.