You know that moment in the morning when you are already running five minutes late, your kid is dressed, shoes are on, and then everything falls apart because of a sock. Not a metaphor, an actual sock.
If you've lived that or if you are that kid... one who couldn't stand the seam across the toe the one who spent the whole school day distracted by the labels scratching the back of your neck, then this episode is for you.
Hi, I'm Tori and welcome to Curious By Design. This is a podcast about the hidden systems behind everyday things the quiet decisions the invisible chains the stories nobody tells you but that shape your life more than you think. This season, we are pulling on one thread. Fashion. Not trends, not aesthetics, the real stuff. Materials, labor, power, and what it actually costs to get dressed in the morning, beyond the price tag. So, let's get into it.
Today, I'm talking with An. A woman who started her career designing buildings and ended up redesigning something much more personal. How clothing feels on your body. She's the founder of Blusss, a Belgian brand making sensory friendly clothing and regulation accessories for people who are highly sensitive. And before you think that's a niche thing for a very specific group of people, I want to say upfront: roughly one in three people experience some degree of sensory sensitivity. So, statistically, this episode probably touches someone in your life. Maybe you, actually.
Dear An, I would like to ask you to talk a bit about yourself and your brand.
Hello, I'm An. I'm 45 years old. I'm from Belgium. I have two sons and I started with a brand named Blusss. With Blusss, we develop stylish solutions for sensory sensitive people. So that are sensory friendly clothing, but also accessories for stress regulation.
And you mentioned to me when we met that you started your career as a civil engineer architect. And I'm wondering what part of that world do you still carry into your business today?
Yeah, I think it's interesting because in architecture, you think about buildings. It's also a lot of components like the light, the space, all different things you take into account. And in social housing, you also want to make nice living spaces for people that have sometimes more difficult periods in their lives. And you want to make things that don't stand out, but a home where they feel very well.
And with Blusss, we do the same. We really start for sensory sensitive people from the starting point is how they feel and how we need to adjust our designs so they can feel well in their clothing and also that it looks stylish so that they don't stand out. They're just wearing nice clothing. So I think there's a big overlap between.
Do you take like normal products and then change them to adapt to the needs that people people have, or do you completely rethink redesign based on what people need? How's your process?
It's a bit different. Sometimes we see solutions, but we think, um, yeah, they really don't look nice. And we, we try to redesign them to be sensory friendly and looking stylish. But on the other hand, we also think out of the box from what, what can be helpful. So for example we did a development of a product with with smell because also therapists explained me that smell is a really good hack when you smell something that refers to a safe thought. Y our nose is directly connected to your brain, so when you go in stress or panic and you smell something that you recognize as safe you will directly go down again and your stress will go away. So that's why we started thinking also in collaboration workshops about how to use smell in our products. And then from the workshops, we designed a scarf with a scented panel. So where the natural essential oils are encapsulated in the fabric. And so only when you rub the fabric, you will break the capsules and you will get the therapeutic effect from the essential oils. So there we did not start from the idea we're going to design a scarf, but we started from smell. Itcan also help people to calm down or when you have a panic attack or something to really calm down. And how can we make something that you can use in daily life, in daily life.
A scarf that you rub and it releases essential oils that calm you down. I mean, that's genuinely beautiful design. That's not a product, it's almost like a ritual you can carry with you. And what I love about the way you work is that the scarf was never the starting point. The feeling was. The need to feel safe was. The scarf came after.
Now, you mentioned that you yourself are highly sensitive and that your son is too. And I think for a lot of people listening, they might be sitting with that question: Am I? Or... Is my child? It's one of those things that often goes unnamed for years. So I'd love for you to talk about that a bit more. What does it actually feel like and how would someone recognize it?
Sound. For me, a sound somewhere is not just a background sound, but it can really distract me all the time, whether it's in restaurants or at the work spots. So that's something really difficult. Smell also. Personally, I smell also very well. And if there's a strange smell, it can also give me an overload, provide some problems.
And then for the clothing aspect, as for my son, it was for him very difficult to find clothing in which he felt good. So we saw him pulling his trousers. It was very difficult to find trousers, underwear, also socks, the first thing came home was pulling those socks out in the morning about it.
So my customers, I hear a lot of stories with children where it's very difficult to get socks on in the morning. It's a huge struggle. And first, as a parent, it's a bit normal that you think, don't be as annoying, just put those socks on. But I also learned from therapists explaining me that when you're sensory sensitive, you really feel it all the time. It's not being... difficult or something but it distracts you all day long and it even prevents you from feeling safe. Whether it's a label in your neck annoying you all the time or socks, it prevents you from feeling safe and that's the base thing you need to feel safe to be able to grow and learn. And for me it was such an eye-opener that i got that explanation from the therapists that I thought impact is so much bigger than just refusing to wear socks or something else yeah.
So you found the need for this clothing type at home and then you started with kids clothing, right? And then it grew internationally. And I'm wondering what did you experience or what gap did you see that made you say, okay, now we need a bigger brand out of this. I want to get it.
It started very small with children's sizes up to 12 years, but then people start asking for bigger sizes. And then from the moment we had the bigger sizes up to size 16 years and 18 years, adults started buying it because they were looking for solutions for their children. And then they saw, oh, but I would also feel really great in these solutions. So that's how we made also clothing for adults.
But also from the beginning, also with the workshops and the co-creation with therapists, we learned that being sensory sensitive means you want soft base layers, but sometimes you also like something to regulate yourself. So that can be a fidget or a chewy or a weighted product. I'm also wearing my weighted collar now because it's very calming. The deep brushes like that, you like get a hug and it's, it's makes that I talk now slower. Otherwise I would be very more a bit stressed. So it helps. So we, we did.
Very quickly, the combination of the soft base layers, but then also the accessories you can combine. If you are someone that likes to fidget, you can match it with those fidgets. So you can mix and match, and that's super interesting. And we hope to develop much more things that can help sensory sensitive people in their daily life. Because I believe when you get to know yourself and you get to know how you can regulate yourself and don't get overstimulated, then you really stay in your strength. Because for me also, when I would not regulate myself the way I do today, I'm stressed out at the end of the day. I'm super tired.
I cannot take any decisions anymore. I'm just almost having a meltdown at the end of the day. So it's super important.
We also want to do with Blusss that people hear the stories and recognize themselves and start exploring things that can help for themselves and really prevent being so tired at the end of the day just by overstimulation. So we really hope that we can do a little step forward and do a little step forward in this way stay in your strength.
That phrase is doing a lot of work and i think it deserves to be heard. Because that's really what this is about. Not fixing people. Not making them normal. But giving them the tools to function from their best selves instead of spending all their energy just coping. And what's interesting to me is: that this need turned out to be everywhere. Belgium is just a small country, but Blusss reached people all over the world from basically day one. I'm curious about that. What did you learn from the different markets? What surprised you?
It was even a bit spectacular that from the beginning, we reached people from all over the world. Our website was in four languages. So people found us just googling on solutions. So from day one, we are a Belgian brand. Belgium is a small country, but from day one, we saw that people all over the world were experiencing the same problems. Children refusing socks or having problems with focus or adults looking for soft. So we saw that the need was really worldwide.
But we also experienced that the way people talk about sensory sensitivity depends a bit on the country. So we see countries where they are very open about it. And there are countries where they start talking about it. But it's in another way. But with Blusss, we just are a brand with solutions for all people that are looking for comfort, in a way. So we are also not talking about certain labels or diagnosis because a lot of people just are looking for comfort. And that's also the way we try to put the brand in the markets. And we see that it works. We talk about softness, about calming, soothing. So those things are very recognizable for all people all over the world.
Softness, calming, soothing. These words don't need translation, do they? I find it really clever and also kind of radical that you chose not to lead with a diagnosis or a condition. You lead with a feeling. And that opened the door for so many more people to walk through it.
Okay, I want to get into the actual products now. Because honestly, I think people are going to want to know exactly what exists. Can you walk me through what Blusss offers?
There is the classical clothing and accessory categories, we also have a shop by need category. That's where you can just find a solution looking at the need you're looking for.
So for the classical range, we have the socks that are for sure seamless and super soft and you can easily put on. So they're really our best seller because I hear it's such a nice solution for everyone that hates socks.
And then we have the underwear category where we have the boxers and girls briefs and tops.
We also sell those base layers a lot because it's the first thing that's on your skin and it really gives a calming feeling. And even we have stories about girls refusing to wear girls briefs that it's really not possible that it works with our products. So that's really, really nice to provide those solutions.
And then we have the top layers, the t-shirts, the trousers, and then the hoodies. And also with the hoodies, we have the combination of having the soft base layer, but also providing solutions for regulation. So for example, our fidget hoodie has a bead in the drawstring, so you can move it up and down as a movement that also regulates and releases stress. And you don't see it, you don't hear it. So it's super subtle. And also in the pockets, we provide loops that you can hook extra accessories if you like.
So we always try to make the soft base layer for everyone. And then depending on what you like, you can add accessories.
Also the way that collar is separate. When you like deep pressure, you can add it. And then for the accessories, we have then our chewies, which I loved a lot because they're really also stylish.
So the chewies and then the fidgets, we have classical stress balls, but also a kind of new design of a stress ball, like a zipper puller that is also not standing out. It's just like a zipper puller, but it's actually a stress ball.
And then we have the weighted solutions, like the weighted collar, also a weighted belt bag that we have.
And then the solutions with smell, the scarf, which I told you about.
And then we also have a super nice solution for subtle communication. So for children that have troubles expressing themselves, like I need help or I need to go to my quiet place for a minute or something. So the idea was how can we prevent that children have a meltdown, that they can give a signal very subtle to their teacher or parents.
And that's also in co-creation developed in a school with special needs with the teachers and the children. And we worked with a thermochromic fabric.
So it's a sleeve, the mood magic sleeve. And when you go with your warm hands on it, there will become a print visible. And that's then the secret message that the teacher knows, okay, we have the agreements. When the child does that, it means they need help or they can go to their quiet place or something.
And it really prevents them going into higher, higher, and then in a meltdown, it takes a lot of time to calm them down. So it gives a tool to express themselves. So that's how we have a lot of different things in our range. And I really like this card. It smells so good to smell the nice smell.
I want to ask, if you had to pick one piece that best explains your brand to someone who has never heard of sensory-friendly fashion, which would it be?
I think I would say then the fidget hoodie for kids and adults because it's the combination of the softness and the way it's made it super soft inside but you also have the option with the fidget bead for regulation and the option to add accessories so in that product you have the combination of the sensory friendly clothing but also the accessory option for regulation so I would say that one.
So cool. You said that sensitive people aren't too weak for the world, but the world is too hard for their strength. Could you maybe speak more about that?
Yeah. I think we live in a world today where there's so much stimuli from everywhere, whether it's sound or light or our phones or all the blinks on our phones everywhere. And I think, yeah, it's really important that we find a way for sensory sensitive people to manage those situations because today it's just such a pity that a lot of talent is thrown away because they get overstimulated and they are not in their strength.
So I think with Blusss, we try to be a part of that puzzle, a part of that solution to provide soft base layers that are really calm and also provide tools for regulation, but also take our role in the recognition that if also in workspaces, people would recognize it more and find solutions together. Yeah, highly sensitive people or sensory sensitive people have a lot of talent. They notice more. They feel everything much sooner. So if you can keep those people in their strength, you have such a talent. So I find that really important. Empowering people.
I did a bit of research and I saw that a third of people are actually highly sensitive. Do you have some maybe vision for the future of how would a fashion industry look like that is inclusive for those people? Do you imagine more products like yours around in the market? Or is there something else you think about?
Yeah, I think it's a bit of a utopia. I don't know how you say it. It's a bit of a dream. I don't know if it will happen that all brands will design like we designed from the starting point also for sensitive people. Because you always have the problem that how we make the products, it's more expensive than when you just make it for standard clothing. So with our clothing, as well as the inside and the outside has a really nice finish. So the production companies are not used to that. They have a nice outside, but the inside is just horror with a lot of threads and loose seams. And so the price point will always be an issue. And the reason I think why not all fashion brands will do it like standard, because that would be a dream if that's all brands would do it. And then I also need to understand that because often also with our products, you don't even see what we have adjusted, but you feel it. So you really need to understand it really well, what your audience needs. So it's not that you can just design something and think it will be good. So I don't think all brands will do it in future, but I hope that some more will do it because, yeah, I think a lot of people really enjoy the comfort of it. And when you design for sensory sensitive people, all people will like it because it's comfort for all.
And I think that's also why what you're doing feels so urgent, not niche, urgent. So let me ask you about the design process itself because I want people to understand how much thought goes into each piece. How do you brief your team how do you make sure that something that feels like a normal hoodie on the outside is actually doing something completely different on the inside?
When we start a new development it often starts from a mood board I make with things I have seen and then trying to explain what I think it can become. And also highlighting the points I know, being sensory sensitive myself and also from the experience with my son, what will be very important to take into account for the design process.
But we also always, depending on the kind of new products, I have a big network of therapists and experts. So I always also ask to them: "I have this idea. What do you think is important to take into account?" So it's often also a collaboration and taking their ideas with us. And then we start designing and making samples and testing with different people. And I always say when three people say it's nice, it's okay. It works. And we stop adjusting. It's good, but that's super important. I always say I want it that it works. And it looks good. So I want both. So if one of two is not okay, if it not works, we don't do it. And if it's ugly, we also don't do it. That's a bit how the process goes at the moment.
I'm wondering, how long does it take from the mood board to the product to get it out?
It depends a lot on the type of product. The new product with the thermochromic fabric and with the smell, it has taken nine months. But it was with the collaboration workshops then the co-creation workshops, but also the technical part. We went to the labo for testing, how we could make the fabrics so it was double. It was a design process but also the technical aspect and then you also need to find production companies that can make it so then it takes a long time. If it's more easy, if it's just an existing product that we want in another color or another design, then it goes much quicker because you already know the construction and how you are going to produce it.
But really new products always takes more time than you hope.
And you produce in which country?
It's different. So for clothing, most is produced in Turkey. And then our socks are made by a Romanian family company that really thought with us how to adjust their production process. And then we have some accessories made in Poland, in a small atelier in Poland. And we have some Belgium made products, like the weighted collar is made in Belgium. And then only our chewies, so our silicone products are made in China. So our own designs, but made in China with a company where they make silicone products for babies and have all certificates to make safe products to put in your mouth, products to put in your mouth.
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Fashion has a huge problem. It produces more emissions than all international flights and shipping combined. It pollutes water, trashes unsolved clothes, a truckload every second.
And while that sounds distant, the truth is it's driven by us. We own more than ever, yet feel like we have nothing to wear. We buy more to fix that feeling and the cycle repeats. I know because I've lived it. Clothes at full, nothing to wear, stress before school, work, events. I thought clothes were identity, expression. And they are. However, not the way fast fashion has taught us.
It's a system design failure. Most people wear only 30% of their wardrobe. And 61% still say they struggle to find something to wear. That's why I'm building a styling app. My app helps you preserve the stories in your wardrobe by styling what you already own. Buying only when it truly makes sense.
I'm wondering, for someone listening who recognizes themselves as highly sensitive but doesn't know where to start, do you have some things they can change in their wardrobe tomorrow to feel calmer?
Yeah, then I would say... start with a soft base layer, whether it's an underwear top or a t-shirt. It's super calming when I'm almost always wearing the blouse t-shirts myself. But when a day I don't wear it, I really notice it. It's just such a big difference. So a soft base layer, I would suggest to start with. And then also when you choose fabrics, see that you go for natural fabrics. Because something synthetic, you will start sweating and your regulation is not good. You don't feel well. So natural fabrics are super important. And then it's a thing to start testing for regulation what you like. Test deep pressure. Test fidget things. Test smell. Just test what works for you. I would just say go out and test everything you can. Everything you can.
There is a thing that happens sometimes in conversations where someone says something and you realize it applies to you. And you weren't expecting it. That happened to me too, a few times talking to An. The part about being exhausted at the end of the day, not from what you did, but from what you felt all day long and tried to ignore. The part about safety being the foundation. The part about designing from the feeling first.
I think a lot of us have been adapting to a world that was never really designed with us in mind. And most of the time we don't even notice. We just call it being tired or being overwhelmed and move on. What Anne is building with Blusss is small in scale right now, but the idea behind it is huge. That comfort is not a luxury. That feeling okay in your body is not too much to ask for. And that when you design for the most sensitive people, you end up making something better for everyone.
If something in this episode made you stop and think, good, that's the whole point. Curious by Design is about finding the story behind the obvious one. And fashion? It's got layers, literally and figuratively. Every episode this season pulls on a different thread. I promise you, it unravels fast. And if you like this, share it with one other person who would never expect to find themselves genuinely grouped by a conversation about clothing. Those are my favorite listeners. Stay curious and I'll see you next time.