The clothes we wear hold a power all their own: Downy jackets help us feel snug and warm all winter; lush silks and satins tempt us to sashay through the day with style.

The power of clothing can even reach outside our closets and deeply into today’s turbulent world, readers discover in December’s issue of UD Magazine, which explores the many ways that University of Delaware students, faculty and alumni are using apparel to fashion their own solutions.

At UD, disabled children are being given the gift of mobility through high-tech “wearables.” At UD, leading sustainability experts are gently prodding the global fashion industry to be more mindful of environmental side-effects, as well as their workers’ well-being.

At UD, students and professors from diverse disciplines are using the framework of fashion to help stroke survivors, protect factory workers and enhance athletes’ performance. And across the world, graduates are working to bring their innovative ideas to thousands of needy people, expanding UD’s impact far beyond campus walls.

“We planned this issue knowing that UD was a leader in fashion studies, especially in the realms of sustainability and global economics,” said Artika Casini, managing editor of the magazine. “What surprised us was the sheer diversity of UD’s apparel-related research, and the ways that so many different colleges are contributing to real solutions for real people.”

December’s issue also explores other Blue Hen insights, including:

• The stereotype that could be hurting single cancer patients.

• How women are making olympian efforts to close the gender gap.

• Reasons why it may be better to retreat in the face of climate change.

• How one UD grad’s “mocktails” are easing the burden of pregnancy.

For more, visit the new UD Magazine on UDaily website at udel.edu/magazine. The new site features selected stories from the current issue, some with additional story elements, as well as a link to the complete PDF version of the Magazine. You can also access the new site from the main page of UDaily, by clicking on the box for the UD Magazine on the right side of the page.