Healthwear company Care+Wear and couture label Oscar de la Renta partnered to design a hoodie for cancer patients, Care+Wear announced April 16.
The Care+Wear x Oscar de la Renta Chest Access Hoodie features a chest port-a-cath or central line, along with two clinically compatible zippers on either side of the chest to provide physicians with easier access to a patient's treatment area without forcing the patient to fully undress, according to a news released obtained by Becker's Hospital Review.
Oscar de la Renta will donate a total of 500 men's and women's hoodies to patients at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine. Clinicians at the cancer center also provided input on the hoodie's design.
The garments will also be available for purchase online, with a portion of the proceeds of future sales going to help cancer patients.
Officials at Oscar de la Renta said the collaboration honors the eponymous label's founder, who died of cancer in 2014.
"We are thrilled to be working with Oscar de la Renta on a product that will ease the treatment process for patients," said Care+Wear CEO and Co-founder Chaitenya Razdan. "When Oscar was ill, elegant, wearable clothing solutions specifically for patients did not exist. Using our unique product development approach to work in conjunction with patients, clinicians at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and Oscar de la Renta, we have created a modern design that is both fashionable and functional."
"We hope that we can not only honor a legendary designer, but also show the impact that these kinds of products can have on the patient experience," Mr. Razdan added.