Cornell Student Creates Maternity Fashion Line That Monitors Expectant Mothers’ Health

Blake Uretsky, a senior majoring in fashion design at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, is already making a mark not just in fashion design but in medical science. Uretsky has designed a line of maternity clothes that monitor an expectant mother’s health.

Uretsky’s clothing line includes a mix-and-match collection of dresses, slacks, coats, blouses, and sweaters under the name of “B” Maternity Wearables. The fabric contains conductive silver fibers that sense heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and the respiration rate of women wearing the clothes. A transmitter in the “B” belt buckle sends vital sign information to the wearer’s smartphone or to her doctor.

“Wearable technology products must both be aesthetically pleasing and have meaning and value to users, and pregnancy is a time where critical monitoring is necessary,” said Uretsky. “I also wanted to change negative views associated with maternity wear by showing that it can be stylish, professional and trendy.”

Uretsky’s research and design earned her a $30,000 Geoffrey Beene National Scholarship from the YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund.