Dana Saulo

After four years attending Parsons School of Design and immersing herself into the design world, Dana Saulo has developed a passion for inclusive design. Inspired by talks of a Health and Disability course offered, Dana found inspiration in her freshman year of college to pursue designing garments that offer fit and function for people of differing abilities. By keeping a balance of three main principles: Function, Expression, and Aesthetic, Saulo aims to meet the needs of her customer through a collaborative design process. Through means of research, interviews, and one-on-one meetings with people who live with disabilities, Saulo creates designs that merge both her own personal interests and that of her target audience to uplift the voices of those in the disabled community.

As the world of fashion advances in technology and innovation, there still are minorities that are frequently overlooked. For example, in the market of adaptive wear, there’s a lack of visually appealing garments. Most of the pieces available are limited to only one color palette and use of closures. The In Bloom collection brings the wearer into a romantic and ethereal world of sensuality and self love without sacrificing comfort or function. The garments within the collection focus on the use of balancing three key principles: function, expression, and aesthetic while having an emphasis on a collaborative design process. The collection has initial influences from lingerie wear but has since evolved into evening wear pieces that put the wearer in a dreamlike ethereal space. In Bloom showcases the romance behind sensuality  and the celebration of living with disabilities. Scaling up imagery and silhouette from the initial collage of paper dolls and dried flowers, the designs reflect romanticism in the modern world with a reminiscent twist.