Sometimes Innovation Is Simple — It Begins with Lived Experience
How everyday life — not new technology — reshaped mosquito protection for women
By Barb Owen-Boerger
Most women don’t realize that effective insect-repelling apparel even exists.
For decades, fabric-based protection against mosquito bites — and the serious illnesses they carry — has been available. Yet awareness remains surprisingly low outside technical outdoor circles. The technology emerged from military preventive medicine efforts designed to protect U.S. service members operating in regions where insect-borne disease posed serious risks to health and readiness.
These garments were engineered for function and survival. They were never intended to be beautiful — or marketed for everyday life. When the technology entered civilian markets, much of that philosophy remained. Insect-repellent clothing became associated with expedition travel and technical outdoor sports: heavy fabrics, utilitarian silhouettes, and little consideration for how people actually live outdoors.
Function solved the problem.
But not for everyone.
Women host gatherings, travel, garden, walk neighborhoods at dusk, and spend long evenings outside. They experience the same mosquito exposure during lake days, backyard dinners, and outdoor events — moments where insect-borne illness remains a real concern. For years, the choice was simple: tolerate chemical-heavy sprays and lotions that interrupt the moment, or wear clothing disconnected from personal style and daily life.
The technology existed.
Accessibility did not.
My own entry into this category came unexpectedly.
With a background in well-being and spending much of my personal life outdoors in Minnesota lake country, I became frustrated by how often beautiful summer evenings ended early because of mosquitoes. Like many people, I relied on sprays and this year’s newest gadget because they were familiar options.
Researching alternatives revealed something surprising: effective repellent fabric technology had existed for decades but remained confined to technical apparel that didn’t reflect how many women actually dress or live outdoors. That discovery led me to found Getaway Apparel and develop Getaway Kimonos — a versatile, everyday kimono-inspired wrap built around a simple idea: protection could be integrated into daily living rather than treated as a separate task.
Innovation often begins with a different question:
Who was missing from the original design conversation?
I wasn’t trying to redesign military gear. I was asking why the rest of us aren’t yet using this technology for everyday life. What if protective apparel could be lightweight enough for daily wear? Packable for travel? Suited for a neighborhood walk? Versatile enough to move easily from morning to evening? And beautiful enough to wear even when biting pests aren’t a factor?
Women rarely organize life around single-purpose objects.
Protection should work the same way.
Mosquito exposure rarely happens only on vacation. It happens while watering the garden at dusk, finishing a conversation outside after dinner, or watching a game as the sun sets.
At the same time, women over 50 represent one of the healthiest, most financially independent, and socially engaged demographics in modern history. They travel, gather, volunteer, and spend meaningful time outdoors — yet marketing culture often continues to center younger consumers or extreme-use scenarios.
Designing for everyday life means recognizing who is actually using outdoor spaces — and who has long adapted to products never designed with them in mind.
Wellness solutions that require elaborate preparation rarely last. This realization led me to think in terms of Integrated Wellness Apparel — everyday garments designed to help reduce mosquito exposure without interruption.
No stepping away to spray.
No outfit changes.
No added planning.
The most sustainable wellness solutions are often passive. When protection becomes another task, consistency drops — not from lack of care, but because life is already full. Integrated wellness apparel works quietly in the background, allowing people to stay present rather than manage another responsibility.
The innovation is not adding complexity.
It is removing friction.
Many industries inherit assumptions from their origins. Over time, those assumptions become invisible. Leadership often begins when someone notices the gap. Across industries, progress happens when new voices ask better questions.
Not louder ones.
Better ones.
Because innovation isn’t only about surviving extraordinary moments. It is about protecting the ordinary ones. And sometimes the most meaningful change doesn’t come from new technology at all.
It comes from outside perspective.
Author Bio
Barb Owen-Boerger is the founder of Getaway Apparel and creator of Getaway Kimonos, pioneering the concept of Integrated Wellness Apparel treated with EPA-registered Insect Shield® Technology — everyday garments designed to help reduce exposure to the expanding threat of vector-borne diseases while supporting comfort, travel, and everyday outdoor living.
