{"id":340072,"date":"2017-05-04T21:06:56","date_gmt":"2017-05-04T13:06:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/techcrunch.com\/?p=1485362"},"modified":"2017-05-04T21:06:56","modified_gmt":"2017-05-04T13:06:56","slug":"izzy-wheels-turns-your-wheelchair-into-a-fashion-statement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/izzy-wheels-turns-your-wheelchair-into-a-fashion-statement\/","title":{"rendered":"Izzy Wheels turns your wheelchair into a fashion statement"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\u2018If you can\u2019t stand up, stand out!\u2019. As startup taglines go, the seven words chosen by Izzy Wheels<\/a> carry a lot more meaning than most. The Irish company, founded by siblings Ailbhe and Isabel Keane, sells a range of wheelchair spoke guards created by independent designers and illustrators that turn a wheelchair into a fashion statement. Or, better still, a form of self-expression.<\/p>\n

For those of us who use a wheelchair, and whether we like it not, it is a part of who we are: visually, practically and psychologically. At its core, it is a source of liberation. And yet a wheelchair is rarely seen as a symbol of independence.<\/p>\n

Because of the emotions it elicits in others, and the way they are marketed as medical devices, a wheelchair often carries quite negative connotations, which, when you pause to think about it \u2014 as this story has forced me to do \u2014 makes absolutely no sense at all. Izzy Wheels is unapologetically challenging this.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cIzzy Wheels are so important to me because they draw such positive attention to myself and my wheelchair,\u201d says Isabel Keane, Izzy Wheels\u2019 Brand Ambassador. \u201cI am no longer seen as \u2018the poor unfortunate girl in a wheelchair\u2019 by passers-by. I am now seen as a stylish person with cool wheels. They really reflect the relationship I have with my wheelchair\u2026 Wheelchairs help, they do not hinder a person and now they do not hinder a person\u2019s fashion choices\u201d.<\/p>\n

The notion that a wheelchair could be a \u201cfashion choice\u201d (or, perhaps, even that a person who uses a wheelchair can<\/em> be stylish in the first place) is a refreshing attack on conventional thinking, but there\u2019s a smartly seized business opportunity too.<\/p>\n

A number of traditional wheelchair companies already sell colourful wheelchair spoke guards. However, these tend to be targeted at small children, prohibitively expensive and are not designed to be interchangeable. In contrast, Izzy Wheels spoke guards start from \u20ac99 and are attached by velcro straps so that they can be swapped out as and when your outfit demands. It\u2019s as far removed from a medical device as can be.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe problem is wheelchairs have looked the same for 100 years,\u201d Izzy Wheels founder and Creative Director Ailbhe Keane tells me. \u201cPeople have negative connotations with wheelchairs and associate them with sick or elderly people. A wheelchair can cost up to \u20ac10,000 and none of this goes towards the appearance of your chair. We want to give one of the world\u2019s most underserved community of people the freedom to express themselves\u2026 Self expression is a right\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The company launched last September and has already sold \u201chundreds\u201d of Izzy Wheels worldwide. Next up it plans to add personalization options to its range of spoke guards, inspired by products such as NikeID.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince launching, we realised the demand for personalization,\u201d says the startup\u2019s Creative Director. \u201cWe are currently working on a digital platform for Izzy Wheels called \u2018Be-spoked\u2019. This platform will give users the ability to build their own designs from a wide range of prints, colours, text and elements. We hope to launch this platform in the next few months\u201d.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Izzy Wheels has taken very little funding. It is currently on Enterprise Ireland\u2019s New Frontiers Entrepreneur Development Program where it received \u20ac15,000 in backing, along with workspace and business mentoring. After winning The Accenture Leaders of Tomorrow Award, the startup will join the NDRC launchpad program later this year.<\/p>\n

And if you weren\u2019t convinced of the business case, I\u2019m told there are 10 million wheelchair users across Europe and the U.S., with 2 million new wheelchairs issued every single year<\/em>. We were promised flying cars, but, in the meantime, let\u2019s give wheelchair users some decent fashion choices.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"\" ‘If you can’t stand up, stand out!’. As startup taglines go, the seven words chosen by Izzy Wheels carry a lot more meaning than most. The Irish company, founded by siblings Ailbhe and Isabel Keane, sells a range of wheelchair spoke guards created by independent designers and illustrators that turn a wheelchair into a fashion statement. Or, better still, a form of… Read More<\/a><\/p>\n

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