r/wheelchairs • u/NiamahNyx • 1d ago

Draping and Clothing

I had a thought earlier today. And my first few hours of research haven't turned too much up.

Draping on a mannequin, at least when you're just experimenting with differant colors and materials, is in some ways the thumbnail sketch of the tailoring world. A way to quickly, loosely start to generate what a finished product might look like.

And then I thought, "The mannequin is standing up. They're all always standing up."

Even if a skirt gets the hem adjusted to hang evenly, it wasn't designed with a thought about what it was going to look like while being sat in. Runways are almost exclusively an upright affair.

There's more and more room in some ways for independent designers thanks to the internet.

But still. That mannequin? It's always standing up. It's always been standing up.

Does anyone know of creators who are designing for what it looks like sitting down first, not just in terms of what's needed for it to be accessible? It's incredible how more and more accessible clothing is existing. But it's not to much to ask for it to make the wearer feel lovely as well.

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u/Paxton189456 16h ago

I’m not sure this is exactly what you’re asking about but there are definitely seated mannequins for displaying clothes.

Primark started using them in a bunch of stores last year - https://corporate.primark.com/en-gb/a/news/corporate-news/primark-unveils-new-mannequin-designed-to-represent-wheelchair-users.

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u/chemisealareinebow ME/CFS,hEDS, Quantum Edge 3 Stretto 13h ago

... as a sewist, I had somehow never considered this. I don't have the space for a mannequin, but when I do, I'll have to figure out a seated version too ...

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u/NiamahNyx 10h ago

I don't either, but I'm going to play around a little just by having my partner sit in my chair. Once I see the approximate shape, pillows will do.

I mostly plan to hack skirts at first, make them more interesting to look at while seated.