The latest addition to The Unwearable Collection, which illustrates the physical and emotional pains associated with generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP), has arrived.

Boehringer Ingelheim debuted the collaboration between fashion designer Bart Hess and students at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) at an event on its Chelsea campus Tuesday evening.

First announced on Rare Disease Day in late February, FIT DTech Lab students worked with Hess to create a fifth, permanent design for The Unwearable Collection. 

The four designs, titled Physical Pain, Flare Intensity, Pain of Isolation and Life-Threatening, highlight the painful experience of living with GPP. The installations are made from raw materials like shards of glass, paper, knives and razor blades to underscore the pain felt by people living with GPP.

A rare skin disease, GPP is characterized by the presence of painful sterile pustules all over the body and flare ups. Between 0.18 to 18 people per 100,000 have the disease, which can lead to heart failure, renal failure or sepsis, and in some cases can lead to death. 

The fifth design, titled Trapped by Uncertainty, drew inspiration from the anxiety that people with GPP experience in between flare ups. Hess mentored the FIT students through the design process, which was inspired by the lived experiences of those who have GPP. 

“As the Collection evolves, it has been a privilege to act as a mentor to FIT’s talented group of designers and witness how they have interpreted the experience of people living with GPP to add a new dimension to the Collection,” Hess said in a statement. 

Trapped by Uncertainty is marked by a mannequin surrounded by shards of glass and crystals, with a creative brainstorming process that landed on using a gray and blue-green color palette to underscore the worry that comes between flare ups, according to Michael Ferraro, executive Director of the FIT DTech Lab.

The design materials of tulle and mesh are meant to appear as smoke floating around an individual, representing the physical manifestation of anxiety, depression and doubt. Despite highlighting the challenging nature of the disease, Ferraro added that the students sought to emphasize the individuality and perseverance of patients that live with GPP day in and day out.

“I say as a member of FIT, and specifically the DTech team, that we are so proud to have been able to contribute to Boehringer Ingelheim’s effort in raising awareness about this rare and serious disease,” Ferraro said. 

Now that five-piece The Unwearable Collection is public, the installation will travel to Singapore for the GPP Forum and World Congress of Dermatology from July 1 to July 5. 

Following that appearance, The Unwearable Collection will be on display at FIT from September 14 through October 15.

For a March 2024 article on a BI exec underscoring what FDA approval of Spevigo means for GPP care, click here.