Hey everyone! We've written a few blogs
about really advanced prosthetic limbs, either in their technology or
in their affordability. (Read about some of them here, here, or
here.) These new advances have come a long way from the clunky
prosthetics of the past that were designed more to look like natural
limbs than to function like them. But there is something to be said
about the appeal of the human silhouette.
Canadian company Alleles Design Studio
has found a way to bring prosthetics physiologically closer to the
human body without compromising their functionality. Instead of
engineering a new type of prosthetic limb, Alleles founders, Ryan
Palibroda and McCauley Wanner, made it their mission to provide
creative, accessible covers for lower-limb prosthetics.
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| Wanner and Palibroda with their designs. |
Taking inspiration from the evolution
of eyeglasses—generic and functional to fashionable modes of
self-expression—Wanner and Palibroda think of their covers as
“'part of a whole', whether it is part of the body or part of an
entire look.”
The covers not only emulate the shape
of the human leg, they also have unique, colorful, tough, athletic,
whatever-you-can-think-up designs. Alleles has a number of
ready-to-wear options that come in a variety of colors, but they also
give customers the option to create a customized design. Terry Oh,
tattoo artist and Alleles collaborator, works with customers via
email to create personalized covers. It's all about “empowering
amputees through self-expression.”
New products are released in
conjunction with the spring/summer and autumn/winter fashion
calendar, so clients can choose covers in the same way they would
choose outfits. Have a spring dress that could use some lace tights?
No problem.
“We wanted to create a different
experience for our clients by removing this product from the medical
realm to act more as a personal statement and fashion accessory.
Amputees will now have cosmetic options beyond flesh-toned foam and
silicon.”
The ready-to-wear covers run around
$325 - $475, depending on the design, and customs hang out in the
$800s. What do you think?
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