Parsons x Special Olympics
David Khuang is a Special Olympic competitive figure skating athlete. He is a person who loves pop music and fashion, especially streetwear. He is very fashion-forward and likes formal with a hint of femininity in his style. He is also very conscious of his slim body.
For this project, I am designing for athletes with a cognitive disability with their own athletic needs. For cognitively disabled athletes, even the slightest thoughts of discomfort or fear can hinder their performance. For this reason, I focused on comfortability, accessibility, and protection by using quilting, pleating technique, and different methods of closure.
The combination of the quilting and pleating techniques was something I wanted to highlight. The quilting provided the athlete warmth and acted as a protective function for when they fall. Especially when performance wear is needed to be tighter to the body, the pleating technique was added to areas like the knees and elbows, as an opening mechanism, to allow more movement. For accessibility, I used snap tapes and buckles with bright colors as an easier opening to take on and off the clothes.
Interview with David Khuang, 2020
Interviewed by Kathlyn Le Leah, Ellie Auch, and Ruby Phan
Edited by Kathlyn Le Leah