What lies Beneath the Surface of a creativity-led business like Izzy Wheels

Izzy Wheels, a business which designs wheel covers for wheelchair users, was founded by Galway sisters Ailbhe and Izzy Keane. Izzy, who was born with Spina Bifida, finds freedom in her wheelchair but felt it never expressed her personality—until her sister Ailbhe began using her talents in art and design to create colourful wheelchair covers for her.

I recently learnt of Izzy Wheels and found the company, its founders and their love of creativity and business to be truly inspirational. The real beginning of this wonderful company stemmed from Ailbhe’s final year project while studying at The National College of Art and Design (NCAD), Ailbhe created a range of colourful wheel covers for her sister’s chair. And so, Izzy Wheels was born. The covers themselves are made in Ireland, and each cover is truly unique and one of a kind. Every order is hand-wrapped with love in rainbow paper, and Izzy Wheels are proud to be a zero-waste company.

In only a short number of years, Izzy Wheels has collaborated with over 90 artists, designers and brands from across the world, expanding their collections and raising money for charities along the way. In 2019 they teamed up with Barbie to create a range of designs for a new and inclusive wheelchair Fashionista Doll. In 2020 they created two limited edition wheel cover collections with Japanese pop icon Hello Kitty.

Izzy Keane, Brand Ambassador and Ailbhe Keane, Founder and CEO of Izzy Wheels.

They also became the first disability fashion brand to collaborate with some of the world’s most famous brands. They’ve been featured in top global publications like Vogue, Forbes, TechCrunch and Oprah Magazine as well as being honoured on the Forbes Europe 30 under 30 list, as well as winning 15 national awards.

This incredible success has grown their business which can put pressure on creative minds, but the pair are up for the challenge.

Beneath the Surface of creative ventures is the Microsoft Surface ecosystem—built for businesses that require more from their technology. The seamless integration of Microsoft Surface devices allows people to ideate and create anywhere inspiration finds them. Stay secure and maintain control, from chip to cloud, with security from Microsoft.

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