Hey guys! I’m a writer for a fashion website as well as T1. I like to write about the intersection of the two when I get the chance, so I wanted to share this piece I wrote about a new clothing line designed to make living with diabetes a little easier, in case you all hadn’t heard of it yet.
There’s only a women’s line right now, but the designer is going to begin working on a line for kids and teens soon, and do some menswear after that.
The clothes have lots of zippers to make taking injections less complicated, and many of the skirts and dresses have pump pockets as well.
Read all about it and check out her line! It’s called Type One.
Interested to hear what you guys think of the clothes!
Sorta silly. They’ve developed this amazing wearable technology! You wear it on your torso and you can lift it up and administer your shot. Then you just let it go and it falls back into place.
While I see how to some degree (and maybe especially to people who use MDIs) this might seem “gimicky”, I actually appreciate the effort. Thanks for sharing the info!
The clothes actually look nice on their own merits (not completely my style really, what with the crop tops, skin-tight pants and artificial fabrics, but stylish nonetheless). I especially like the sturdy looking loops to pass the pump tubing through!
I use a pump and find dresses to be a particular challenge. (To @Timbeak48’s comment above – to use my pump with a dress, I actually have to go to a bathroom – the only alternative is lifting my skirt in public. Yes, I can potentially remote-bolus from my meter, but not look at my sensor BG-trend displayed on the pump or use anything but a straight bolus, eliminating dual or square capabilities which are not available via remote. You can see how the “amazing wearable technology” has its limits.)
I can see myself actually buying the ‘Carrie’ jersey peplum dress, but since I am based in the US, would first like to see 1) sizing guide relevant to me and 2) estimate of the shipping costs.
The Animas Ping was really nice in this regard. I believe all bolus options were available via the remote. And with the CGM on a phone, the pump could be securely tucked away and not required to gain access. I believe for a female in particular and depending on the clothing being worn this was really a nice option.
I do find it very discouraging that all pumps going forward have (apparently) not consider this “remote” to be a key piece of technology to be included in all pumps. Animas actually removed the remote feature on their new “Vibe” pump as compared to what they had on the Ping. (I think but I could be mistaken on the Vibe as we used the Ping but never actually used the Vibe.)
In terms of fashion, I think there are two very distinct groups of people. Those who regard fashion as a key part of living and those who don’t even understand the concept. One group trying to explain to the other group is probably worse than a high-carb vs no-carb discussion.
As someone who does MDI, I don’t have to worry about the pump aspect of things, but I also don’t change what I’m wearing at all to accommodate shots, because I just inject through most clothing, including jeans, skirts/dresses, etc. I don’t go through multiple layers typically, but it’s usually easy enough to find or uncover single-layer spots in any outfit. Never had a problem with it. Only thing I’d recommend is that if folks re-use pentips usually, doing it less if you inject through rougher fabrics, since the pentip will dull faster (and then hurt more).
Clothes definitely matter to me, and it’s on the list of reasons I’m reluctant to get a pump (though I’ve got other ones too).
I do MDI so don’t worry about the pump aspect of things, either. I’m also retired and don’t go out much, so most of my injections are given at home. I never, ever inject through clothing and don’t intend to. So I could use a limited number of better designed outfits for those few times I eat away from home. With designs appropriate for a septuagenarian.
I custom design my own clothing, though. About 100 years ago (well, maybe not quite that long) I was even offered a job teaching at a school of fashion design. So when the weather gets me back in from the yard work and into my sewing room in the fall, I plan to design a few outfits that better accommodate my diabetic needs.
Even before clothing items, though, will come a custom designed bag with the exact size of pockets for my specific carry-along diabetic supplies along with my normal “purse” things. Next will be a couple of fanny packs small enough to carry the few things needed for my walks, but matching/coordinating with my usual walking outfits. I see some fun ahead.
I had a friend who is a type 1 and just got married. She wears an insulin pump so the store where she bought her dress sewed a pocket in the dress for her pump. Unfortunately they didn’t really know what was needed and the pocket was way too shallow, so every time she walked up or down the stairs (the reception was on a boat, lots of stairs) her pump fell out! Thankfully it never pulled out her site!
She at least was able to pull her dress up under the table to bolus for her dinner, but being a girl and wanting to dress up with a pump is NOT easy, so I’m always happy to hear of people who are trying to make life just a little bit easier for type 1’s.
The pump has never prevented ME from wearing a dress-- it was the hair on my legs and my consideration for the good money people had spent on their meals.
I find dresses with pockets a life saver. I just put a small hole in the seam for my pump. I also have a few dresses without pockets that I wear with a garter. I’ve found anything remotely form fitting is completely out of the question.
