Alleles
/Show Day
Apr 25, Thursday
/Social Media
Since its inception, the ALLELES Design Studio has been focused on creating choice for amputees through the development of fashion-forward prosthetic leg covers. Drawing inspiration from the eyeglass industry, our aim has been to transform medical devices from items people were trying to hide, to something people would choose to represent their distinct personality and style.
Founders, McCauley Wanner and Ryan Palibroda, launched their products online through alleles.ca in 2013. Creating an online store allowed designs to be accessible to amputees worldwide, making it one of the first products in the prosthetic market to be available direct-to-consumer.
With a background of industrial design, art, and architecture, our dream has always been to bring our skill sets into other realms and showcase the importance of design on people's lives. We have spent the last ten years as an R&D studio developing efficient ways of bringing a made-to-order product to life and we are excited that we finally have the opportunity to showcase what the studio can do.
More importantly we are excited for a runway show featuring a bunch of our friends who are representative of the clients that we work with everyday.
This collection will explore full head-to-toe looks using the technology and techniques we have developed in house and blur the lines between prosthetics and fashion.
The ALLELES Design Studio has been recognized and showcased worldwide by: Instagram, The White House (Washington, DC), Museum of Man (Paris, France), Kent State Museum of Fashion (Kent, Ohio), Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum (New York, NY), The Word Economic Forum (Davos, Switzerland), Carnegie Museum of Art (Pittsburgh, PA), Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal (QC), and various other Museums across Canada.
PREVIOUS COLLECTIONS
What inspired you to become a fashion designer?
My research focused on the power of fashion and self-expression in the medical world. This led me to explore how fashion could help people personalize medical devices, especially prosthetics.
How would you describe your design style?
Our style is fashion-forward, customizable, and focused on self-expression. We create prosthetic covers that allow people to choose designs that reflect their personality and style.
What can people expect from your collection?
You can expect fashion-forward designs that explore the relationship between prosthetics and fashion, including customizable pieces created to express individuality and personal style.
What inspired ALLELES to approach prosthetics through fashion?
We were inspired by the idea of doing for prosthetics what fashion designers had done for eyeglasses—turning a medical device into something people could personalize and choose to express themselves.
How have amputees influenced the development of ALLELES?
Feedback from amputees and prosthetists has played an important role in developing our products. We continually used their feedback to improve the fit, function, and personalization of our made-to-order covers.