(Twisted X CEO Prasad Reddy, patient designer Brianna, and Twisted X Designer Tuan Le)
Harnessing the healing power of art once again, Twisted X and Cook Children’s Medical Center have re-teamed to expand their popular collection of patient-designed footwear into women’s sizes. Twisted X donates 100 percent of wholesale proceeds from every sale of Cook Children’s x Twisted X Collection to the pediatric hospital’s Creative Arts Program—$75,000 and counting.
For the original collaboration, which launched in 2023, Twisted X invited young patients to create their own designs on plain white styles, or paper outlines of shoes if they preferred, using colorful paints and pens. Then they worked directly with Twisted X Designer Tuan Lee to turn their artworks into physical slip-on shoes for kids, which were carried by independent retailers with overwhelmingly positive results.
The new collection includes two eye-catching designs by patient-artists Alex and Brianna. The Alex bursts with vivid color, reflecting Alex’s own love of rainbows, a symbol of hope and joy. The Brianna mixes flowers, butterflies, and cacti—embodying the idea of rising above pain and blossoming in spite of it—on a sky-blue background because that’s Brianna’s favorite color. Both are available in the lightweight, slip-resistant Feather X style, practical enough for medical staff to wear at work, but stylish enough to appeal to buyers of all stripes.
“The goal for this collection is to be able to continue to support the wonderful work Cook Children’s is doing with its Creative Arts Program while also telling the stories of the inspiring patient-artists Twisted X has gotten to work with,” says Twisted X Global Brands CMO Tricia Mahoney.
The Cook Children’s Creative Arts Program helps young patients tap into the therapeutic powers of art to express their feelings, gain confidence, cope with stress and fear, and find joy during treatment. Last year, it served 2,700 children undergoing treatment at Cook Children’s Medical Center.
To underscore the mission of the arts program and the collection, boxes are adorned with special stickers, and each pair of shoes in the collection has a hang tag with a QR code to Twisted X’s website landing page where buyers can learn more about the patient-artists.
“It’s really important to us to tell the story so consumers can connect with this one-of-a-kind collection as much as we have,” says Mahoney. “It’s been special for our entire team, but for Twisted X CEO Prasad Reddy and Designer Tuan Le in particular this has been a passion project and a dream to be able to launch this with a partner like Cook Children’s. Tuan’s love of design and Prasad’s passion to give back have made this collection a standout.
“A big focus for us in expanding the collection into adult sizing was to make them available in the gift shops at Cook Children’s Medical Centers in Fort Worth and Prosper for the staff who have been begging for these shoes,” she adds. “At our launch event we sold out!”
The collection will be available in Twisted X retailers and in the gift shops at Cook Children’s. To learn more, visit twistedx.com/pages/cook-childrens.
Patient-designer Alex with her namesake shoes
The Brianna and The Alex in women’s sizes
The designers’ names are prominently displayed on the back of their signature shoes
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