Why can't prosthetic legs be a fashion accessory rather than a misfortune?

(photo is courtesy UNYQ)

Deborah Bevilacqua lost her leg in a motorcycle accident ten years ago and had to get a prosthetic leg. Now she has four different fairings, which she can change based on her mood, activity, or outfit. She says that after she started wearing fairings, she noticed some changes about herself as well.

‘I was just starting to build my confidence level back up because before that I would just cover up and pretend I wasn't an amputee and didn't want anyone to know. Then I just wanted to show my leg off because it was just so amazing looking, so I think it is sort of therapy,’ Bevilacqua says speaking to KALW.

Many people feel it is high time there were new options for people like Deborah who enjoy wearing their prosthesis like a fashion accessory instead of feeling awkward or embarrassed.

UNYQ is a start-up founded in 2014; the company is headquartered in San Francisco, California and Seville, Spain. Its main goal is to offer 3D printed custom and highly personalized prosthetic covers that reflect the wearer. With the help of 3D printing, UNYQ is able to produce any design, no matter how "crazy".

The company was co-founded by Eythor Bender, who is already known for developing a prototype bionic exoskeleton that allows wheelchair users to walk again, and Chief Creative Officer Manuel Boza, an engineer in Seville, Spain.

Bender’s vision was to rethink a medical aid to make it much more personalised and aesthetically pleasing. UNYQ’s main goal is to give customers a say in the design or give people the option to just order from the website a “fairing” for their prosthetic limb.

“I never thought in a million years that I would become a model,” Alex Minsky said during a shoot in Los Angeles. “Even before the accident it was never one of my goals.” The former Marine’s life certainly took a very unexpected turn, when his war injury became not the focus of pity but a new opportunity to express himself.

“The thing about Alex is that his amputation doesn’t define him, “said Bender. Minsky is now modelling UNYQ’s covers; “I’ve watched him take magazine interviews and the fact that he is missing a foot doesn’t even make the fine print of his story,” added Bender. “Alex shared with us that his goal was to illustrate the phoenix rising from the ashes on his body with tattoos, and his fairing – which he designed – has expanded the canvas on his body and allowed him to complete his vision. I like to think that when Alex wears our fairing, he’s saying, ‘Don’t look away. Look at me! This is who I am,’ said Bender to UNYQ

Using 3D printers, UNYQ can capture the individuality of a person while providing them with an exactly symmetrical replacement limb. Bender believes that 3D printing can revolutionise the way we design artificial limbs.

By collaborating directly with the amputees in designing and creating their own custom-made accessories via its retail website, UNYQ is able to offer its fashionable products at affordable prices. “And if they don’t absolutely love their fairing, we’ll take it back. No questions asked,” added Mr. Bender to UNYQ.

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