Leah Zelaya has dreamed of becoming a designer for as long as she can remember. She studies fashion magazines, sketches ideas for red carpet looks and even earlier this year, walked in an NYFW runway.
Ask about her style icons and she’ll drop some of today’s biggest names: Jennifer Lopez, because she “isn’t afraid to wear sequins and shine,” and Taylor Swift, for her dress-changing superpower to shape up from country cute to vampy goth for cottagecore.
The 13-year-old listens closely to the ebb and flow of the biggest trends in the industry. So she also knows that there is still a long way to go to create clothes for bodies like hers.
Leah was diagnosed with scapuloperonic spinal muscular atrophy, or SPSMA, a rare type of neuromuscular disease, when she was 6 years old. Her fine motor skills began to weaken and she began to lose muscle tissue as she got older. Today, she uses leg braces for small distances and bilateral forearm crutches or her wheelchair for long distances.
Any activity that requires input can be extremely difficult. This includes getting dressed.
While inclusive fashion is on the rise, Leah says it’s still difficult to find items that are both cheap and on-trend. So she created an adaptive hack to alter what she already has.
The prototype is called “Easy Zip” and will be on sale as part of the Open Style Lab Hack Toolkit. This year, all proceeds are reinvested in funding the organization’s summer program with the Muscular Dystrophy Association to support aspiring fashion designers like Leah.
So my design philosophy is that accessibility should also mean affordability.”
She describes Easy Zip as “donut shaped”, with a large open oval and a hook at the top. “It’s very simple,” she says.
While a traditional zipper can take Leah up to 20 minutes to get up, the wizard cuts the process down to seconds. It can be used to tie shoes, button up a shirt, and open and close handbags. It is also removable and small enough to carry in a purse.
Leah says Easy Zip’s selling point – and what sets it different from other devices on the market – is that it’s personalize.
For her, Easy Zip is just the start. Leah is also working on a shoe design in a wide range of colors and styles that can fit over her leg braces.
“Swimsuits are another area. The current models are really difficult for people with disabilities to put on, especially when wet. I also hope to see more options in everyday casual wear. ”
