Design and aesthetics are involved in medical care to create a better experience for patients.
Associate Professor Yen Ting Cho from Cheng Kung University’s Creative Industries Design Institute, recently led students to design and produce 10 different headscarves, and donated 30 of them to the Cancer Center at Cheng Kung University Hospital, hoping to meet the needs of patients who have lost their hair due to chemotherapy. This is the first time the cancer center has cooperated with the College of Planning and Design of Cheng Kung University.
“It’s more fashionable to have a headscarf, and it also helps patients feel more comfortable with chemotherapy,” said Yen Jialui, director of the Cheng Kung University Hospital Cancer Center. With an annual increase of 5 to 600 patients and the decline of the ages of the patients, many young cancer patients are concerned about the changes in their appearance. The whole chemotherapy treatment lasted for nine months, and although the hair loss was only a temporary phenomenon, it still causes the emotion of disappointment and hoped that the designed headscarf could encourage patients to accompany them through the treatment.
Compared to other headscarves made of synthetic fibers, the donated headscarves are made of cotton and silk, a natural material with the breathability of cotton and the smoothness of silk, so it is skin-friendly and not stuffy. The designs are varied and gradual, depending on the cut and the way of wearing, to create a unique visual effect, suitable for both men and women. Yen-Ting Cho said, “Different ways of wearing it reveals the pattern of different parts of the fabric, you can decide how you look according to your daily mood.”
YEN TING CHO’s work combines the digital and the culture, bringing digital craftsmanship into everyday life in surprising ways. He regularly participates in international trade shows in New York, London, and Paris, and his work has been exhibited in prestigious museums and select shops such as SFMOMA and the New York Museum of Arts and Design.
YEN TING CHO website
