Age is not a number, but a story
At the end of May, at the show to present the results of the “Aging Fashion Workshop” organized jointly by Shih Chien University and Taipei Medical University, design students exhibited clothing that was designed to fit the needs of elderly people. Each of the senior models was able to wear clothes that were specially made for them and were stylish and comfortable as they stepped onto the catwalk and showed themselves off.
Grace Hsieh, associate professor in the Department of Fashion Design at Shih Chien, says that enabling students to interact with golden-agers one-on-one is a useful kind of life experience for the designers. Senior lecturer David Hsu, meanwhile, points out that with the trend of aging in our societies, the design world must think about how to take care of the needs of the elderly.
It is only through hands-on measurement that the students discover that elderly people are prone to accumulating fat on the arms and abdomen, or they may have rounded shoulders, or their body shape may have changed due to surgery. These details affect style and comfort, so Grace Hsieh encourages students to discover the needs of the elderly and use their design skills to make their body shapes more attractive.
“The most important thing is to pay attention to seniors’ needs, but you don’t want to emphasize their shortcomings,” explains Hsieh.
David Hsu adds that protection from injury is an important issue for elderly people. Therefore, during the course the students found a honeycomb fabric that increases wear resistance and protection, and blended it into their designs. In this way they were able to make clothes protective without showing anything unusual in their external appearance.
In the course senior lecturer Feng Tse-lan, who is 65, shared her experiences of catering to the needs of elderly people over many years. What touched her most about the whole course was that it was a project of love. The program shifted the focus of attention toward seniors from their numerical ages to understanding their life stories, which added warmth to this experiment in golden-ager fashion.
Grace Hsieh says: “Fashion is daring to show oneself off.” David Hsu says: “Self-confidence is stylish in itself.” And Feng Tse-lan says: “In fashion, happiness is very important.” Age should not be an obstacle to self-expression, and one should express one’s most beautiful side no matter what the time or situation. Life should be like this. Trendy grandpas, trendy grandmas—they are to be expected as a matter of course.
Logan Lin remains a child at heart, and even had his picture taken with a dog who just happened to be passing by. (photo by Chuang Kung-ju)
Logan Lin, a reflexology foot masseur by profession, says that if you want to keep a handsome exterior, staying healthy is very important.
The “Bohemian grandmother” never goes without jade jewelry.
The 78-year-old Lin-Jiang Juandai always maintains an optimistic attitude to life.
Students at Shih Chien University tailor-made fashionable, comfortable clothing for elderly people, enabling these seniors to proudly show themselves off on the runway. (courtesy of the Department of Fashion Design, Shih Chien University)
With a change of perspective, we can focus on elderly people’s life stories rather than their numerical ages.
Why shouldn’t old folks be stylish?