Taking steps that matter: How Kaitlyn Smith found her calling in adaptive apparel
Kaitlyn Smith came Oregon State University’s College of Business for apparel design, the fancy fashion kind. But somewhere between the long nights in the Milam sewing lab, the insightful conversations with mentors, and the stories shared by women living with Multiple Sclerosis, she discovered the kind of designer she wanted to become — one who creates with intention, empathy and impact.
Today, as she steps into her new role in product development at BILLY Footwear, Smith carries with her a philosophy shaped by her endless hours and years of prototyping and reprototyping and perfecting every detail: “There is a lot of power in designing with purpose. Bringing someone’s story to life throughout the design process makes a huge impact.”
Smith, who earns a double major in apparel design and product & merchandising management, the popular pairing that gives students both creative and strategic tools to understand how products move from concept to consumer, has found that adaptive and inclusive design has defined her academic journey.
“It is time for designers to create with accessibility in mind, as it is necessary to design functional products for users with no other options,” she said. That belief became the foundation of Unbound.
Her professors describe her as a standout student — someone who consistently delivered high‑quality work and approached every project with curiosity and care. This dedication became especially clear during her senior year, when she began developing her adaptive activewear line.
Her goal was simple: create clothing that supports women across the full spectrum of their day‑to‑day experiences. “My collection is an activewear line meant to serve young women living with Multiple Sclerosis,” Smith said. “Each look represents a different level of a day-to-day experience for these women, ranging from no-symptom days to days where assistance is required in the getting-ready process.”
Developed with the guidance of Claudia Longo, an athlete, businesswoman and founder of MS I’m Possible, an organization dedicated to empowering young people living with Multiple Sclerosis, Smith studied to understand the daily challenges Unbound needed to address.
Informed by the experiences shared with her by Longo and the MS community, Smith set to work, planning and developing the line in just 20 weeks, including ideation, research, material planning, prototyping and fitting to models.
“This collection is a labor of love for me,” she said. “And I wanted to thank my models for being part of every stage of this collection.”
Kaitlyn also credits her classmates for pushing her creatively and supporting her through the most demanding parts of the program and her professors: “I will forever be grateful for the guidance I received from my apparel design and merchandising management professors, especially Colleen Pokorny and Brigitte Cluver,” she said.
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