AlphaGirl Womens Utility Work pant
Why is this project worthy of an award?
REAL-LIFE work inspired workpants that PULL THEIR OWN WEIGHT. Our pants minimize the distractions and discomfort of heavy toolbelts, and packs traditionally used to carry stuff. The suspension design and mechinism of our pockets address the daily problems of working women so we can be efficient on the job, and present a professional vibe. Many women perform jobs under physically challenging and sometimes isolated conditions wearing apparel that’s a detriment to their performance, and there are more young women entering traditionally male industries at a higher rate who expect their work clothes to be as effortless as their outdoor and workout gear. The ALPHAGIRL PANT combines the comfort and performance of activewear, with the function of cargo-type POCKETS. Armed with utility and equipment elements, the pant is designed to be worn in the workplace to carry equipment and tools. The pant is cut to allow the main pockets to ride up front on the pants, (along the femur) so that movement is not constricted, pockets are totally accessible when driving, and the silhouette is light with seams placed to flatter, and a killer fit. A gaiter hook and Velcro patch at the reinforced hem enclose the vulnerable tops of footwear so that pant legs button up tight to protect the lower leg and foot from ticks and debris getting into boots. And no more daily loops of bend down, stand up, pull pant legs down, reach up, re-tighten shifting belt, tuck in shirt…and repeat. OUR MISSION IS TO ASSIST WORKING WOMEN TO FEEL IN CONTROL, BE POWERFUL, AND TO LOOK GOOD DOING IT. • BODY FABRIC: Full coverage heavy supplex is soft and sweat/moisture wicking. Abrasion-resistant front pant panels add durability without saggy knees and added weight by doubling-up fabric. • WAISTBAND: extra-fine Lycra mesh stays put and supports your core. Inner pant construction works with abdomen and legs, not shoulders and back, to support heavy loads. • POCKETS: Dense outerwear fabric with a waterproof/breathable membrane and DWR finish is super tough, but reads like a silk taffeta, with a satiny sheen. 3 EASY-IN-EASY-OUT POCKETS ACCESSED WITH ONE-HANDED GESTURES The pockets’ carrying capacity is boundless and can be loaded up without worry of seam slippage or fabric failure and without pulling down your pants. • PERSONAL STUFF: This pocket holds a big phone, keys, cards, and flash drive- is secured with a locking zipper. Outer loop holds a one-lb. FATMAX measuring tape without flopping over. • EXPANDING CARGO: Inspired by origami, the flap expands, and morphs into the shape it surrounds, and then folds flat into itself, while keeping a traditional cargo ethos. Water bottles don’t sweat through to pants because all pockets are backed and waterproof. • LOW-LEG TOOL SLEEVE: Contoured and gusseted at the wearer’s calf, this pocket hugs the grip of a hand tool, a hairstylist’s iron, or anyone’s umbrella. Then it tapers, so the handle is snug and won’t flop around like a hammer in a loop. MEET THE PANTS THAT WORK AS HARD AS YOU DO.
What else would you like to share about your design? Why is it unique and innovative?
Active-wear is made to walk and run in. To wear for yoga and bicycling, and occasionally to climb mountains- and its great for all of that. But what the modern worker needs from their apparel is far beyond what activewear is designed to do. I started thinking about pockets a lot more than the average person and thought, if a pocket could function on stretchy pants, it would help me perform better at my job, and recognized the need for a better solution for my life and work, and for other women, too. Inspiration came from designers like Issey Miyake and the way his pleats expand and contract. It came from tents and suspension bridges. And it came from talking with women about what they REALLY want from their clothes. I learned how tension and compression forces impact how a tent, umbrella, or a bra works. The initial focus was to get the mechanism to function, in the most user friendly and unobtrusive way possible, because that is the #1 key feature. The early iterations had thick elastic cords zigzagged along the outside seams and lashed onto the back of pockets, then knotted around a thick waistband, (as in the video). Because the pocket’s carrying capacity is boundless- early prototypes had pockets that expanded TOO MUCH and were out of scale- so we kept patterning and iterating until the elastic cording was replaced, refined, and no longer visible. Once that was achieved, secondary features were addressed. My hope is to create a holistic clothing system that would enrich workers’ experience.
Who worked on the project?
Cathy Rosenhaus
View the project video: https://youtu.be/JOuOs1guRsc
A New Approach To Personal Care For A New Generation Of Boys
Company Creative Tonic
Introduction Date December 1, 2017
Project Website http://www.prepuproducts.com
Why is this project worthy of an award?
Designed for boys ages 8-15, Prep U is setting out to reclaim boyhood with a lineup of personal care products formulated to be tough on odors while using safe, natural ingredients and essentials oils. Ready to take on the smells of boyhood, Prep U’s products are also empowering boys with an age appropriate brand and messaging to guide them through the transitional years between toddler and teen. The idea for Prep U came from a frustrated parent of two smelly sons (aren’t they all) who couldn’t find an answer for how to get them clean without protests from the boys over using “baby” products or them smelling like a couple of frat boys on their way to a party. Surely if her family was frustrated by the lack of age appropriate personal care options for her sons, other parents of young boys were facing a similar predicament. Enter Prep U, a line of products specifically designed for the transitional years between elementary and high school.
What else would you like to share about your design? Why is it unique and innovative?
Prep U is unique in that it is solving an issue at both the product and brand level, offering natural, effective products that are safe for use during this critical phase of physical development delivered through a brand that inspires confidence and independence at an age-appropriate level. This reflects the duality of audiences – parents and the boys – and need in market for products that let boys be boys without perpetuating the outdated stereotypes of manhood. As boys need to address personal hygiene at younger and younger ages, it is important that their personal care products and introduction to personal hygiene be a celebration of who and where they are, not an early introduction to manhood. The Prep U brand is playful and has a unique boy-centric sense of humor, providing a fresh perspective on the elements and environments that shape their of daily life. From the deconstructed court lines to the imagination-inspired illustrations layered on photography, every aspect of the brand was crafted to feel relevant to boys while also age-appropriate for parents. All elements are rooted in the sense of boyhood and activities popular with this audience in order to make them feel distinctly targeted at boys. The colors ground the brand in the world of sport, employing the two-color system favored by most sports teams. The electric blue is the primary brand color and the secondary color provides the accent and scent color. Photography invokes a sense of adventure and exploration, showing boys enjoying a wide range of activities and environments as they navigate their way through a typical day in the unconventional, often baffling manner of tween boys.
Who worked on the project?
Craig Lennie - Creative Director, Michelle Houp - Design, Shelley Brand - Strategy
View the project video:
Bag Bug: Because fashion and beauty should not come at the expense of comfort and functionality.
Why is this project worthy of an award?
The philosophy of our brand is to combine fashion and beauty with comfort and functionality. Too often we have to compromise functionality or comfort or even both for a fashionable statement, accessory, or product. Thanks to its unique design, the Bag Bug is the first product in the fashion & accessories market that successfully combines functionality and comfort with fashion. The ability and precision with which the Bag Bug was designed made the combination of comfort and functionality possible. Made of high quality materials, the Bag Bug provides 3 main functional benefits: 1. It prevents the straps (from a bag or purse) from constantly slipping off the shoulder 2. It adds comfort to the shoulder area, preventing the straps from digging in, making the purse/bag feel less heavy 3. It keeps the purse off the floor by hanging it on the corner of a table, bar, or counter top and on the back of a chair (yes, even a round one!) Not only is the Bag Bug functional, it’s also incredibly beautiful and adds luxury accessory appeal to any purse or bag!
What else would you like to share about your design? Why is it unique and innovative?
The utility patent was granted in September of 2017, and the Trademark for the name was granted in May of 2017. The Bag Bug is unique and innovative as it is currently the ONLY and first-of-its-kind bag/purse accessory in the world that adds comfort, functionality, and beauty all-in-one!
Who worked on the project?
Isabel Fernandez - Inventor & Founder
View the project video: https://www.dropbox.com/s/zrgw3glqppfosyg/introvideo%20w%20text%20and%20music.mp4?dl=0
BellyBelt - Australian global success story
Why is this project worthy of an award?
BellyBelt is an Australian invention that has changed the way pregnant women dress, and as a result has enjoyed 18 years of global success. Reducing clothing waste, BellyBelt instantly turns regular clothes into maternity wear. It gives allows petite, extra tall and plus size women more choice in their maternity wardrobe. It's a tool for fashionistas to stay on trend. It allows a pregnant teenager to "fit in." It appeals to different cultures, whose clothing choices are not readily available. BellyBelt has shown to be popular across many segments of society - the sustainable lifestylers, the corporate suit wearers, the budgeters, those from diverse cultures, those seeking high fashion, the outliers with quirky personal styling. BellyBelt has even been recommended by women using colostomy bags, who wish to continue to wear their own clothing while hiding a bulky item under their clothes. BellyBelt currently sells to 1 in every 10 pregnant women in Australia. It's been as high as 1 in 6. It saves money, and was awarded Best Value Product in the Australian Business Awards. Christine is named in the Australian Businesswomen's Hall of Fame and also was awarded Ausmumpreneur of the Year in 2015 BellyBelt is a quiet Australian success story, and is helping women from Uruguay to Indonesia, from Greenland to New York. It is sold into stores in 26 countries, including Destination Maternity, the largest maternity chain in the U.S. (1000 retail outlets) and in more than 600 Australian stores including large chains such as Big W, David Jones, Target and Baby Bunting. BellyBelt is a one size kit which has given it fuel in the online shopping age, for example, selling in the U.S. on Target.com and on Amazon. This simple but effective 7 piece kit has stood the test of time, and regular packaging refreshes and design tweaks ensure BellyBelt will continue to save money, the environment and the personal style of many pregnant women in the future.
What else would you like to share about your design? Why is it unique and innovative?
The patented BellyBelt was the first product of its type in the world. It was launched when maternity wear was unfashionable and expensive. For example, each pair of maternity jeans was behind the current fashion, was unappealing, and incredibly, cost $200. A rubber band to expand the waistband was insufficient and uncomfortable. BellyBelt became the first product in the world to effectively turn regular pants, jeans, skirts and shorts into maternity wear. The simplicity of small elastic belts, with buttons at one end and buttonholes at the other, simply and instantly buttons into the fly of pants and skirts to expand the waistband, making maternity wear out of every garment. Slide-fastener belts are included for corporate wear with slide fastening waistbands. Fabric panels cover up any gap in late pregnancy. BellyBelt works with for all sizes and shapes of pregnant women, moves with the fashions of the day so it stays relevant no matter what trends arise, appeals across cultures, appeals across demographics, and the design has endured largely unchanged since it was invented. The uniqueness of BellyBelt's design led to its being an overnight success with store chain Target being the very first customer, David Jones the second. BellyBelt is still sold in both stores today.
Who worked on the project?
TV newsreader Christine Kininmonth invented BellyBelt for her own use when she was pregnant with her first child. Unable to find maternity wear suitable for on-air work, Christine produced a Minimum Viable Product that ultimately became the BellyBelt. Keen to share her idea with other women, Christine began the pre-work for commercialising BellyBelt. When she ran out of money, she put her VW Golf on the market. The man who turned up to buy her car instead decided to buy into the business, and Peter Hooker and Christine are business partners to this day.
View the project video:
Bioscarf
Company Petrichor SA, LLC
Introduction Date December 1, 2016
Project Website http://www.bioscarf.com
Why is this project worthy of an award?
According the The World Health Organization, air pollution is the world’s largest single environmental health risk. Every year, millions of people die from air pollution related illnesses. We created the Bioscarf to help change that! The Bioscarf is the first scarf with air pollution and cold & flu protection built right in. It is made out of a patent pending material that incorporates a particulate filter into the fabric. Whether you are on your bike, on a bus or plane, or just out and about, the Bioscarf gives you comfort and protection whenever - and wherever – you need it.
What else would you like to share about your design? Why is it unique and innovative?
During a trip to China, businessman Carlton Solle became ill. After visiting a local doctor, he was informed that he had most likely become sick due to complications related to air pollution. Mr. Solle asked what he could do to protect himself in the future and the doctor said the only thing that he could do was to use a mask. Upon returning to his home in Atlanta, Georgia, he mentioned it to his wife, Hazel Solle. Mrs. Solle, grew up in the countryside in Costa Rica. She grew up on a farm that had no electricity where they had to make everything from scratch. Her favorite toys growing up were two dolls. The dolls were hand me downs so the clothes were old and worn so anytime she could get her hands-on fabric scraps she would use them to make them new outfits. Fabric was hard to come by and when she was lucky to come across some normally they were small scraps. Because most of the time the scraps weren’t big enough to make entire outfits she would use them to make scarfs for her dolls. When her husband mentioned what had happened she thought back to her childhood and those scarfs that she used to make for her dolls and that’s when she came up with the idea. Something fashionable that could add a special touch to any outfit but that could also help protect you at the same time. This is also where the idea for the Plus One Program came from as she grew up with very limited resources and she wanted to try and help other people at risk without the resources to protect themselves. Under its PlusOne program, Bioscarf pledges to donate product to individuals less fortunate for every Bioscarf sold. In tests the Bioscarf outperformed many of the popular masks on the market, it filtered out an average of 99.75% of all airborne particulates size 0.1 microns and larger. That means that it can protect you from pneumonia ( 0.25 microns ), strep ( 0.9 microns ), influenza ( 0.43 microns ), tuberculosis ( o.86 microns ) , pm2.5 ( 2.5 microns ), animal dander ( 1.0 microns ), pollen ( 10.00 microns ) and cigarette smoke ( 0.30 microns ) to name a few.
Who worked on the project?
Hazel Solle - Founder Carlton Solle - Founder
View the project video: https://www.bioscarf.com/videos
