I’ve recently finished up an art/design collab project with UNYQ armor. UNYQ is a company based out of San Francisco that creates prosthetic cases for amputees. They are based in 40 countries around the world. Through medical engineering and 3-d printing they create fashion forward products with a futuristic twist and amazing artistic design. They approached me for a collaboration on a community engagement project. My focus was to create a series ofprosthetic cases for amputees to wear in a fashion show entitled runway for peace. This show was put on by Plitz fashion for Charlotte international fashion week as part of the HEAL Charlotte campaign. Kiser Corp was also a featured sponsor of the event. This was all a huge honor.
In my collaboration with UNYQ, Not only did I have a series of prosthetic cases to design, but I also worked on a scoliosis brace and designed a mock UI (user interface) for the sensor that fits inside it (This was clearly for aesthetic purposes for the show). So, I also had a chance to work with Tyme, a company that makes smart clothing & sensors and Intel, a company that makes the computer processors that run these things. We had under a month to put this all together. This was my first ever art director lead project on a national and international scale. Yes, they gave me full artistic range and had complete trust in my abilities and ideas to pull off something fresh and futuristic. This is all I ever wanted in this creative industry, this, and to be able to use my designtalents for positive outcome and growth throughout the world. The true challenge of this project was working with a team, whom no one had ever met face to face, that were spread out throughout 5 cities and 2 countries (Charlotte, SF, Boston, Phoenix Philadelphia and Spain). The models were also all flown in. We all had to be on the same page, knowing that our time frame was limited with an important community cause at hand. The day of the event, everyone flew into Charlotte and all met up with me at the McColl center studio. It was all our first time ever meeting each other outside of skype and email. This was an amazing effort and a great group of people to work with, the world isn’t a huge distant heartless place, it really is small and there are people that are trying to make a difference for the better, including myself. I thank Lisa Twerdy for all of efforts in getting me on the right track with this project and Lyn Kim as well, I couldn’t have pulled it off without their help. I’m a mere designer/artist who likes to the make the world look beautiful, beneath the surface and beyond. I will also be working with UNYQ to create a limited edition Kiser corp Prosthetic case, stay tuned.
UNYQ Prostetic case work in progress
