Breathe
Award: Shortlist
Shortlist / Future Impact / Design / 2020
Chest binding, most commonly done by transgender men and non-binary people, is the process of flattening one’s breasts using tight garments to appear more masculine. While these can greatly improve the wearer’s mental health, 97.2% of binder-wearers experience physical health problems including back pain and rib fractures. Breathe is a smart garment that uses shape memory materials to allow the wearer to customise the tightness of the garment on-the-go using a remote control or app. This helps the wearer to take discreet breaks from chest-binding without having to find a private space.
