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= Helen Cookman = Helen Cookman is an American fashion designer that was born in 1894 and died in 1973. Her early life is unknown, but throughout her life she was known to design uniforms for women with different occupations, ones that were stereotypically for men.

Biography
Her early life is unknown, but when she died, she left behind two daughters and two sons, fourteen grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.

Design Element
In January 9th, 1943, she designed new uniforms for female bus drivers that consists of "gray-beige cloth fashioned into a "single-breasted jacket"..."slim, [https://www.dictionary.com/browse/fly-front#:~:text=noun,on%20a%20coat%20or%20dress. fly front], flared skirt buttoned from belt to hem...detachable belt with generous pouch pockets"". She also has several designs displayed at The Met museum that showcases female uniforms such as Uniform (1948), Ensemble (1935) with the Chesterfield coat, Smock (1948) , Evening Suit (1939) , Waitress Uniform (1948) , and many more. Her designs have developed connections and relationships with other manufacturers such as a textiles company called Reeves Brothers, Inc.

She developed a fashion line with with Muriel E. Zimmerman called Functional Fashions that focuses on clothing accessible and functional for people with disabilities. Cookman has her own hearing loss disability so she designs clothes that are helpful to her on a daily basis, such as including more pockets on her jackets to hold her hearing aids. After designing and releasing her fashion line, it became quickly popular, which pushed Cookman to create the Clothing Research and Development Foundation and encourage other designers to be a part of creating more garments for people with disabilities. As one of the longest collaborators, Vera Maxwell, designed garments such as Speed Suit and Rugby Suit. The Speed suit was "made with lycra-knit top, it slips over the head with no fastenings, perfect for “the woman who wants to dress quickly” or “anyone whose fingers are crippled with arthritis”". For the Rugby suit, it was made with "a tweed ensemble lined with seal fur, which had a matching lap robe for wheelchair users."" The suit included a closure with "pressure tape" called Velcro.

Her final and biggest collaboration with her Functional Fashions line was with Levi's Letter in 1975. The design was producing Cookman's patent trousers for handicapped people. the trousers were designed with zippers down both legs lengthwise, back unzipped for bathroom use, and a belt that keeps the front in place. Before the release, she died two years prior in 1973.

Publishes
She had a book published in 1961 called Functional fashions for the Physically Handicapped with her co-author was Muriel E. Zimmerman.