TOMSK, Feb 7 – RIA Tomsk. Employees of
the Siberian Design Center of Tomsk State University (TSU) Anna Lychagina and
Anastasia Merinova develop clothes for people with autism; as the authors of
the idea told RIA Tomsk, these clothes will help to cope with stress in crowded
places thanks to special styles and tactile accessories.
Anna and Anastasia explained that a
person with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in a crowded place may start
stimming – a reaction to an external stimulus: he feels stress, tries to
relieve it with some repetitive actions, which can confuse others and further
aggravate his condition. To cope, a person needs to feel comfortable. The
clothes that the girls create should help with this.
"I would not even talk about
clothes in the first place, but about elements that can be sewn on and built
into clothes. People with ASD are faced with the problem of finding a socially
acceptable way of sensory tools. When such a person is at home or can reach a
social relief room, he is able... to adjust to the surrounding conditions.
Another thing is public transport or other places", – Anna said.
Anastasia explained that the models of
clothing they create differ little from the basic ones. They just took into
account the details that help the person with ASD feel calm. For example, a
deeper hood, raglan sleeves with wide armholes. Faux fur trimming the inside of
the pockets also gives a calming effect. "People themselves alter their
clothes, remove the labels from the inside, take out the laces. We want... to
make a kind of construction kit", – she clarified.
The girls are in charge of two
laboratories of the Siberian Design Center of TSU. Now they are working on a
model of a sweatshirt, doing research and creating a prototype. After the
release of the first sample, they will work with a focus group. It is too early
to talk about market entry, serial production and the cost of goods.
"There are very few analogues of
sensory relief tools in Russia, and special clothing all the more so. There are
examples of similar projects in the world, such as Eardley Designs and Fidget,
and in many ways we are guided by them. It is mainly toys and accessories, but
we want to make it part of everyday clothes too", – Anastasia said.