Ffora launches design-led solutions for wheelchair users

Lucy Jones had an idea seven years ago for a range of accessories designed around the requirements of wheelchair users who represent over 3.3 million US citizens, while 30 million have physical disabilities. Since then she has worked tirelessly to realize that idea, balancing style and function, with an eye for aesthetics instilled from her Parsons training and the ear of members of the disability community who have collaborated extensively on product development. Creators of fine leather goods generally deliberate over the same matters––leather quality, pocket placement, the finishing of the hardware––all of which Jones prioritizes too. But with Ffora (Fashion For All) she places the needs of the wheelchair user foremost, even applying her uncompromising vision to a proprietary attachment system compatible with 21 different manual wheelchair brands. Today marks the launch of Ffora and Jones talks exclusively to FashionUnited.

Describe the motivation behind the creation of Ffora?

I created Ffora after several years of research and development, beginning with my time at Parsons, where I was challenged by a professor to “Design a solution that could one day change the world.” I turned to a younger family member who has hemiplegic cerebral palsy, which means he has limited mobility along one side of his body. After speaking with him about clothing and his daily routine, I quickly learned that there were quite a few things that were difficult for him, but some of those things felt like unnecessary barriers that were the result of bad design. He challenged me to think about the accessibility of my creations, and from that moment on, that’s what I set out to do.

Your thesis collection was in garment design. Why did you want to launch with accessories?

I had been thinking about accessories for mobility devices since 2012 but I was convinced apparel was my thing. Then when it came to my senior thesis collection, a collaboration with a woman who uses a wheelchair, I realized some of the functional hardware I wanted required the involvement of an industrial designer, and I just did not have that skill set. A lot of my ideas involved both the wheelchair and the body, which are both equally intimate and integral to self-expression and independence.

Do you hope to expand into clothing later?

Never say never, but right now Ffora’s primary focus is to continue developing tools and accessories for the disabled community. We are already hard at work on other interesting products.

What did you learn had been lacking for the consumer and how did it inform your design?

I realized that there was a vast need for wheelchair users to have more control over their personal valuables when on-the-go, and to carry their belongings more efficiently. People were hacking existing bags to make them fit on their chairs, or tying extra straps so the bags wouldn’t fall off. People were stashing cash in their shoes, or sitting on phones and keys, and if they wanted to enjoy a hot drink, they had to balance it on their chair or lap, one-handed wheel, or just forget it altogether. There simply needed to be better options.I believe that the greatest brands are built on a concise product offering, something hyper-focused or one iconic design. Ffora has a hugely diverse audience, so I knew we needed something that was modular in design and easily customizable to reflect our customers’ needs, and this felt possible with accessories.

Your team mantra is " you can spell accessories without access. describe the functionality of your designs and how they differ from anything on market.

The wheelchair market mostly offers nylon bags with velcro options which over time wear out. All of the other products I’ve seen feel utilitarian, with very little attention to design. Our audience is composed of people of all ages who have a diverse range of needs and desires, and a wide range of disabilities; there are people who have full use of their hands and people who do not have fine motor skills, so our products needed to accommodate both. Wheelchairs are robust pieces of equipment that are intended to last 5-7 years, so we needed to design something durable that could withstand collisions, and different types of weather. The wheelchair’s lower frames were identified as the most structurally safe to position a semi-permanent docking system that would host an assortment of accessories.

And all of these considerations led to the development of your proprietary design?

Our proprietary Attachment System is a clamp and open dock that is compatible with more than 21 brands of wheelchairs, which is 170 models of manual wheelchairs of several different tube sizes. This dock is the building block that holsters an array of additional Ffora accessories, including our cupholder and two cross-body bags. The bags can dock vertically or be worn on the body horizontally with our cross-body strap. Each accessory has a magnetic pebble-shaped counterpart embedded into the design, which allows it to slide into the dock and hold in place. There are a significant amount of wheelchairs on the market offering different seat widths, backrest heights, tubes of varying angles and so on. By positioning personal belongings on the tubes of their wheelchairs, essentials such as beverages, phone, cash, lipstick, keys are all readily available within arm’s reach. The bags have two-way zippers with ‘thumb-pulls,’ perfect for those without fine motor skills. The bags also open flat like books for easy organization.

How many people are in your team?

We are only two people full time, so it’s an incredibly tight ship. Everyone else has been contracted or hired on a project basis. My goal is for the brand to be successful, so that we can continue to create jobs and make the appropriate hires. After a year of running the company alone, I brought on our Head of Industrial Design, Joonas Kyöstilä, whose skills have been invaluable and our design aesthetics have merged seamlessly. We have two engineers based in Boston, as well as stellar advisors and mentors. Most importantly, we have a group of excited individuals who have supported us in testing the product, reviewing designs, critiquing our brand messaging, and have been integral to the development of this company.

Start-ups inevitably encounter challenges but were there particular challenges associated with your product that you had not foreseen?

There have been many panicked, sleepless nights and bouts of nervous laughter. We invented and created this product from the ground up and produce overseas, so we have had tooling issues, post-processing issues, communication issues, shipping issues, tariff issues, packaging issues, sizing issues, unforeseen delays -- the list is truly endless, and the only thing that has kept us going is the belief in the brand and the vision. The process to come to market has taken tremendous patience and will-power.

And as with most startups, there have also been financial concerns. In the investment world, I am an unproven founder with no track record of success, I don’t come from a family of wealth or entrepreneurs, and I don’t have an operational or financial background. There have been times where I have questioned my ability, so I knew I had to get smarter and learn quicker and absorb as much as possible, to keep dusting myself off, to try and try again. All that said, today we have come a long way and I have learned so much, I am beyond proud to have a wonderful group of supporters who have dedicated so much time and energy towards coaching me and sharing the belief in what we are building. Now, we continue to attract more people, which I believe can only be a good sign.

Your designs have appeared in exhibitions at MoMA and MAD. How did this come about for a designer only recently graduated?

Hazel Clark, who was the co-curator of “fashion after Fashion” at MAD alongside Ilari Laamanen, a professor at Parsons who served as the interim Dean of Fashion when I graduated in 2015 saw me present my work at multiple panels, and asked the most thoughtful questions. She and Ilari invited me to participate as one of six international designers to exhibit at MAD, commissioning site specific work which was an evolution of my thesis collection. Around the same time, Paola Antonelli, the senior curator of MoMA, was preparing the alphabetized list of designs for “Items: Is Fashion Modern?” and she had researched my work. She invited me to create a prototype based on my “Seated Design” work.

As a solutions-based creator and former Eileen Fisher resident designer who is launching a product that will serve a previously neglected consumer, do you also feel an obligation to address ethical sourcing, use sustainable materials, provide repair services or other provisions to ensure both product and planet's longevity?

Eileen Fisher is the ultimate leader in sustainability. Working in her company was a dream come true, and once you have been immersed into that “EF” mindset, it’s hard not to think about it. For us, designing a product that has quality material, craftsmanship and longevity to be truly cherished by our customers is very important. We didn’t put this much effort into our creations to have people throw them away mindlessly.

You have received invitations to the White House and international awards, but what has been the most rewarding experience of your design career so far?

When I look back at some of my achievements, it doesn’t feel real. My life moves so quickly and I haven’t stopped since graduation, so I don’t think I’ve ever had a moment to take it all in. Exhibiting in museums will always be something incredibly special, something I have wished for since I was a young girl. It’s that freedom to trial new concepts, take risks and test ideas that are perhaps not quite fitting for consumerism, but more so about speculation.

But for me the highlight is a personal one. When filming the Ffora campaign video back in March, I had my videographer friend come from Wales to shoot. This was a major milestone for us and it felt crucial to get it right. We finally brought all the people together including those who have tested the product, who I look up to and who motivate me. I have never felt such collaboration, excitement, energy, movement and joy. My vision was to film people in various locations using the product––a cinema, dance studio, basketball court, café, bookstore, each location reflecting the personality of the individual we had gotten to know. On the last shoot day, I had to leave early for another obligation, and couldn’t stay to watch Jerron Herman (a very talented disabled artist) dance in the studio. I was in the car heading downtown when the team FaceTimed me, all gathered around to say “Lucy, it’s a wrap!” It was the proudest moment of my life. Everyone felt that they had been involved in something truly special and magical, and in my eyes, I think we were.

Fashion editor Jackie Mallon is also an educator and author of Silk for the Feed Dogs, a novel set in the international fashion industry.

Photos Ffora.