Description:

Bug is a sensory garment thoughtfully designed to provide adaptive comfort for children and elevate the value of strong wool. This innovative piece utilises New Zealand strong wool, showcasing the material’s inherent qualities while transforming its traditional applications into a modern sensory solution. Strong wool was the focal point of weeks of material research, with the intention of developing a unique and functional material. After a final material was reached, some moodboarding and ideating led the project down the path of sensory garments for children with sensory processing issues.

Simply put, Bug is a wearable blanket. A blanket that can be worn as a hood, a cape, a poncho, or used as a comfy rug, a throw or a pillow, and surely many more things. The design aims to allow the user to wear it as they need to address their own ‘stims’. The word stim is short for self-stimulation and is most commonly associated with autism. Among other things, over and under stimulation, and physical and emotional discomfort can all cause a stim which will present differently from person to person. This tends to be vocalisations or physical behaviours, used to calm and express emotions. Stimming is something every person does, so though this garment is aimed at children with autism, many homes could benefit from it.
The performance of Bug is clear; it would effectively serve as a comforting garment for children, adapting to their needs with features that allow for noise dampening and calming weight. Its success would also be evident with Bug being a desirable comfort item for not just children with ASD, but anyone who loves a sensory weighted and cosy experience. Whether it is worn over the head as a hood, or wrapped around the shoulders as a poncho, the garment provides both sensory relief and practical wearability. Strong wool has a long and well-founded legacy in New Zealand, being the material used to make the well known kiwi woollen blankets. Bug celebrates this heritage by bringing strong wool back to blankets in a fresh and adaptable way, including new natural materials to create a unique experience.