I had three open heart surgeries and realised that hospital gowns are impractical- so I designed my own range

Olivia Burns is a 25-year-old fashion student from Cheshire. She has designed a new gown design which is influenced by her own experiences in hospitals.

Born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, Olivia has created patient wear business Hypoplass. During her childhood, she underwent several surgeries including three open heart operations.

Olivia was inspired to make gowns that were more practical and dignified for hospital patients. She also discovered that many hospitals were double gowning to preserve patient dignity, which leads to double laundry and double the carbon. To tackle this problem, Olivia designed the Inversus gown and recovery wear range.

On the process of creating the range, Olivia said: “Having been born with a congenital heart condition I was the 13th patient in the NHS to undergo lifesaving treatment. I had three open heart surgeries and several other procedures as a child.

“Later in life it dawned on me how impractical, undignified and uncomfortable the traditional hospital gowns are. It led me to a research project alongside Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust which concluded that hospital gowns were inefficient for patients and clinicians.”

“It’s been a really interesting journey so far,” said Olivia. “What we have now is a range that preserves the modesty of patients, allows them to feel more comfortable before an operation and through to recovery.”

With a view to scaling Hypoplas nationally Olivia joined the TiE UK North before entering the TiE Women Global Program & Pitch Competition 2024. Having won a regional final she will fly to India in December to compete in the Global Grand Finale at the TiE Global Summit.

“Winning is not the primary goal,” Olivia added, but rather the experience and the opportunity to pitch in front of everyone. I’m surprised at reaching this far in the competition to be honest but I’m going to embrace the experience as I’ve gained valuable connections and networking opportunities throughout this entire process.”

She added: “Soon Hypoplas’ first pilot study will be complete which will give us data on the product’s viability. From there we will continue to build on solid foundations before aiming for an angel round or venture capital within the next year.”

Simon Arora, TiE Charter Member and one of the TiE Women Competition Judges, TiE UK North, said: “Olivia is a natural entrepreneur with a passion for innovation and drive to make a difference. It’s been delightful to see the progress of Hypoplas so far and we wish her all the best for the Global Grand Finale at the TiE Global Summit on December 9.”