The Unwearable Collection™ Evolution

The Unwearable Collection™: Impossible to wear. Impossible to ignore. 

The Unwearable Collection™ was designed in collaboration with world-renowned designer Bart Hess. Originally consisting of four designs, The Unwearable Collection™ creatively depicts the physical and emotional burden of living with generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP).  

GPP is a rare, lifelong skin disease characterized by flares of widespread eruptions of painful pustules across the body. In the words of people living with GPP, these flares have been described as pain equivalent to “10,000 papercuts.” Flares can greatly affect a person's quality of life both physically and emotionally and in severe cases, can lead to hospitalization with serious, potentially life-threatening complications such as sepsis, heart failure and renal failure. 

The original four designs in The Unwearable Collection™ focused on the impact of GPP flares including: the physical pain, flare intensity, emotional burden, and the life-threatening nature of the disease. Through using his creativity, Bart uniquely translated the severity of living with this rare condition into eye-catching artwork. 

In partnership with the Fashion Institute of Technology’s (FIT) DTech Lab in New York and Bart Hess, a new fifth design has been added to The Collection. 

The newest design brings to life one of the most common experiences of people living with GPP: emotional uncertainty. 

Living with the uncertainty of GPP flares

A GPP flare can begin from nowhere. Within hours, pustules can erupt all over the body and require urgent care. Due to this, people living with GPP can never predict when they will have a flare and how it will affect their life, resulting in anxiety and worry.  

Through improved understanding of the impact of living with GPP, people with the condition can gain better access to support, improved care and resources. 

The Unwearable Collection™ Evolves 

"As The Collection evolves, it has been a privilege to act as a mentor to FIT's talented group of designers and witness how they have interpreted the experience of people living with GPP to add a new dimension to The Collection."  (Bart Hess, internationally renowned designer) 

The new “Trapped by Uncertainty” design is a natural complement to the other four pieces in The Unwearable Collection™. It uses the combination of unwearable materials like colorful shards of glass, with delicate materials such as tulle and mesh.  

The outer layer of the design was crafted to emulate smoke billowing around the individual, representing the consistent unease felt between flares.  

The immediate discomfort felt from the outer layer underscores the emotional impact of living with an unpredictable disease, while the colorful glass placed within the inner design, represents beauty and individuality. 

“Trapped by Uncertainty” was created by Natalia Robles-Oteiza and Urvi Selarka, Fashion Design MFA students at FIT. They worked under the supervision of Dobriana Gheneva, Fashion Design Assistant Professor and Michael Ferraro, FIT DTech Lab Executive Director, in close consultation with Bart Hess. 

"The students who developed this design were insightful and empathetic in their ability to creatively convey the discomfort of living with GPP through an evocative and alluring design." (Michael Ferraro, Executive Director, FIT DTech Lab)

The collaboration to create “Trapped by Uncertainty” also involved students from multiple interdisciplinary teams at FIT, including Animation, Interactive Media & Game Design, Exhibition & Experience Design and Advertising & Digital Design. 

To find out more about GPP, its symptoms, and to hear from people living with the disease, visit GPPandMe.com. 

The creation of Trapped by Uncertainty: