SOFT ACCESSIBLE CLOTHING LINE
ROWAN is a clothing label for teens that blends the latest in textile innovation and garment construction savvy to create a line of virtually seamless, comfortable and stylish clothing. Comfort for all! The clothing line was originally developed to help people with tactile sensitivity: a common symptom for people on the autism spectrum and with sensory processing disorder.
CUSTOMER
ROWAN
DATE
2011
CONTRIBUTION
Concept
Research
Design
Fundraising
AWARDS/FUNDING
SVA Grant / Buck Award
THE CHALLENGE
Teens and parents of teens with clothing sensitivities hunt through clothing stores to find garments that meet various requirements; tagless, minimal seaming, soft fabric, loose cut etc. They often resort to purchasing sweatpants and sweatshirts despite their sloppy appearance.
“I hate almost all clothes. It’s because fabric rubbing against body hair feels like sandpaper grating my skin.”
“My son DOES have a lot of “issues” with clothes. He will not wear: denim (although it’s cotton, it’s restricting), anything with zippers or tags and EVERYTHING he wears MUST be cotton, pants MUST have an elasticized waistband, shirts MUST have a crew neck.”
GREAT USER EXPERIENCE
ROWAN is all about the details and design. We researched cutting edge fabric technology and stole seaming techniques from lingerie, sports-wear and couture. We also re-designed a simple tee-shirt, stretch denim and other garments to have minimal seaming. Our team held user test groups to determine the most popular and comfortable fabrics, fit and styling.
Simple patterns were desired over complex or typographic imagery on the tee-shirts. Prints are digitally printed for minimal skin irritation on Tencel, a soft and sustainable textile. In testing the final samples we found the feedback to be outstanding from both parents and teens.
