Here's a stylish corporate rebranding that's also designed to make the world easier to navigate for folks who use wheelchairs.
For a half-dozen years, Canadian couturier Izzy Camilleri, whose star clients include Angelina Jolie and David Bowie, has created fashionable and functional apparel for the wheelchair community through her company, IZ. She recently rebooted her operation in a big way, assisted by Toronto creative shop The Garden.
"It comes as no surprise that access to many things in life is limited for those who use wheelchairs," says Shari Walczak, co-founder of The Garden. "But what was surprising to us is how little is actually being done about broader accessibility issues for wheelchair users around the world."
With that in mind, the agency developed Access10, through which IZ will donate 10 percent of its sales to organizations such as Stop Gap to aid in the construction of wheelchair ramps in communities across North America. In addition, consumers who order "Fashion IZ Freedom" T-shirts are being asked to take seated selfless in them and share the photos on their social networks. (All proceeds from T-shirt sales will support ramp construction.)
The Garden also collaborated with Camilleri on IZ's Fall/Winter 2015 collection, and contributed campaign elements such as a new logo and packaging, along with a revamped e-commerce site, a spruced-up physical storefront and outreach via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and email.
"IZ was created to give people with disabilities access to beautiful fashion," Camilleri recently told Inside Toronto."Now, we want to take it one step further. When you buy from IZ, you're helping to make the world a little more accessible for everyone."