By Stanley Ugagbe
In what can be said to be a timely and crucial move, Toronto-based Brand, Dr. Liza has expanded from footwear to bags. The comfort-focused line founded by osteopath Dr. Liza Egbogah now offers shoulder bag and backpack styles.
The new Dr. Liza bag styles feature an ergonomic design, a flat base for balance and cushioned shoulder straps, and come in colours ranging from classic neutrals to pops of pink and red.
Speaking with newsmen, Liza said “I’ve always believed that fashion should be functional”. It would be recalled that the Toronto-based osteopath launched a line of shoes several years ago–an offering that’s grown from a comfortable classic pump to include booties, sandals and flats.
Delineating on the development, she said “I often have patients come in with neck pain, shoulder pain, and back pain”.
“They didn’t know what the cause was. But when you looked at their posture, you’d see that they were tilted to the side, or one shoulder was significantly raised compared to the other side. When I’d ask what side of their body they’d carry a bag on, it always correlated with the side where the shoulder was raised. One of the reasons that happens is that over time, if you put a bag on your shoulder on one side, your body will naturally compensate and raise that shoulder to almost make a ‘hook’ for a purse with your muscles and your fascia, which is the tissue that connects everything in the body.”
Liza stated that after years of treating these physical complications caused by wearing the many different bags available on the market, early last year, she began drawing designs for her own brand.
In her words, Liza succinctly averred that she was inspired by not only the pain her patients experience, but how they as professionals wanted to feel wearing her pieces.
She said “A lot of the people I see are quite image conscious,” adding that some would say, “I’d honestly rather live in pain” than carry some of the ergonomic backpacks and bags that were created in the past. “I wanted to make something that looks like a true fashion piece but with all the qualities that make it comfortable and good for your posture” Liza said.
Liza noted that “there’s no quick fix when it comes to posture,” adding that for those working from home–even if they are set up in a “perfectly ergonomic work station”– that it’s essential to devote thirty minutes every day to physical activity.
“And if you’re going barefoot at home but are used to having shoe support, that’s a disaster for your body. I usually recommend a supportive flat,” she noted and added that “I have to make slippers next, apparently. That’s what people are telling me.”
Liza stated that she knew from an early age that her calling was in medicine. She said “At age six, I realized I wanted to be a doctor”.
“I loved helping people. Back then, they would call me ‘the golden child’, and I assumed it’s because I have blonde hair–in the village where my parents are from, you have maybe one percent of the population that has blonde hair. But then later on, I found out it’s because my great-grandfather was the medicine man in the village, and they felt like I had that healing ability.”
While noting that she made t-shirts and scrunchies in her youth and was always inspired by her “stylish family,” Liza averred that she was unaware that this passion could ever be tied to her practice. “To now be a designer and doctor is amazing,” she said, and added that “I didn’t know you could do both!”
To Liza, the two disciplines are inherently linked. “We wear fashion because we want to look good, and we want good posture because we want to look good,” she stated. “And it ties in to how people see us. As a Black woman, my parents always taught me that one of the ways to open doors for yourself and get people to see you differently is to stand up straight, to be tall.”
Remarking on the recent Black Lives Matter movement, Liza said “I’ve been educating people in my stories because I think people see me and think, oh you’re successful–clearly racism hasn’t affected you too much”.
“I’m letting them know that every step of the way since I was a kid that I’ve had to overcome so many hurdles to get where I am. And I think that’s been helpful for them.”
She expresses concern that people are becoming fatigued by the continued conversations around systemic racism and social injustices. “I was optimistic for a period, but now I feel like people are kind of losing momentum and the focus isn’t there anymore,” she said, adding that “It’s disheartening”.
