By BFLO Rome:
Van DiBernardo designed women's shoes for DKNY - a career that kept him "up in the air", from Spain to Italy to Brazil, when not working from his employer's Manhattan headquarters. Today, Van is firmly rooted back in Buffalo, where he manages the symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis since his diagnosis a dozen years ago.
Van is proof that you can take the boy out of the design room, but you can't take the designer from the boy.
Right now, Van is trying to launch the fashionable cooling vest he designed for people with heat intolerance. The family effort is helmed by his sister, Luanne DiBernardo, a former advertising copywriter; and David Bothwell, a cousin and Engineer with a long business history. Currently in the fundraising stage, Van has long dreamed of replacing the cumbersome industrial versions of his cooling vest with one that won't make the user feel awkward or freakish.
Heat is the #1 enemy to MS and Chronic Illness, and WNY has one of the highest incidents of MS in the nation.
"Once I become overheated, my vision blurs, I'm unable to walk, and my cognitive thought process is shattered", Van offers. "Unfortunately, this also means limiting physical therapy, which is paramount to disease management". The Coolture cooling vest reduces core body temperature, thereby enabling physical activity without inducing further harm.
The absence of a stylish solution for cooling core body temperature is a mystery to Van; particularly in light of an overwhelming need. "Menopause, Autoimmune Related Diseases, and chronic illness are a part of our daily lives", reports Luanne, who who cites the aging baby boomers as a primary target for his vest. "Baby boomers are the first generation to insist on quality of life as they reach senior markets. Even sports and leisure enthusiasts, like Nathanial Steele, an American Race Car Driver, understand and seek the benefits of keeping cool".
Coolture's fashionable cooling vest will be the first of its kind, thanks to Van's intimate history with disease and design. With Pepsi's significant nod, and daily votes from our community-at-large, Coolture hopes to turn a global-minded effort into a Buffalo-based reality.
Visit www.refresheverything.com/coolture to register and vote for Coolture once a day through January 31st. Once there, you can download the Facebook app or the iPhone app. A text code is also available after registration.
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Van DiBernardo designed women's shoes for DKNY - a career that kept him "up in the air", from Spain to Italy to Brazil, when not working from his employer's Manhattan headquarters. Today, Van is firmly rooted back in Buffalo, where he manages the symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis since his diagnosis a dozen years ago.
Van is proof that you can take the boy out of the design room, but you can't take the designer from the boy.
Right now, Van is trying to launch the fashionable cooling vest he designed for people with heat intolerance. The family effort is helmed by his sister, Luanne DiBernardo, a former advertising copywriter; and David Bothwell, a cousin and Engineer with a long business history. Currently in the fundraising stage, Van has long dreamed of replacing the cumbersome industrial versions of his cooling vest with one that won't make the user feel awkward or freakish.
Heat is the #1 enemy to MS and Chronic Illness, and WNY has one of the highest incidents of MS in the nation.
"Once I become overheated, my vision blurs, I'm unable to walk, and my cognitive thought process is shattered", Van offers. "Unfortunately, this also means limiting physical therapy, which is paramount to disease management". The Coolture cooling vest reduces core body temperature, thereby enabling physical activity without inducing further harm.
The absence of a stylish solution for cooling core body temperature is a mystery to Van; particularly in light of an overwhelming need. "Menopause, Autoimmune Related Diseases, and chronic illness are a part of our daily lives", reports Luanne, who who cites the aging baby boomers as a primary target for his vest. "Baby boomers are the first generation to insist on quality of life as they reach senior markets. Even sports and leisure enthusiasts, like Nathanial Steele, an American Race Car Driver, understand and seek the benefits of keeping cool". Coolture's fashionable cooling vest will be the first of its kind, thanks to Van's intimate history with disease and design. With Pepsi's significant nod, and daily votes from our community-at-large, Coolture hopes to turn a global-minded effort into a Buffalo-based reality.
Visit www.refresheverything.com/coolture to register and vote for Coolture once a day through January 31st. Once there, you can download the Facebook app or the iPhone app. A text code is also available after registration.
An excellent, innovative product. I will vote!