Our Story

Van DiBernardo was more than a fashion designer—he was a visionary. His design career started at Unisa, then at DKNY, where he designed women’s shoes. Manhattan was home for 25 years, but he worked in Italy, France, Spain, and Brazil, where designs were put into production -- and where he collected inspiration. Life was good. 

 

A diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) would change everything. 

 

My name is Luanne DiBernardo, and Van is my brother. I'd always been in awe of his talent, so watching him transition from artist/designer to someone whose goal was to get through the hours of a day, left me feeling helpless. Watching his condition worsen whenever he overheated, left me with a mission. 

 

I set out to find a cooling vest for Van. What I found was a vest intended for industrial workplaces. The garment lacked in more ways than it achieved. Heavy ice packs soaked the garment's thin fabric, and the weight of the vest burdened my brother's shoulders. Disappointment led to the realization that the way to create a cooling solution is to engage a person with the heat problem.  

 

Enter Van: a professional designer with a serious heat problem.

 

Neither of us imagined that our first prototype would be the start of a 12-year commitment. My simple labor of love became something bigger — something urgent. Van wanted a cooling vest "that an athlete would wear," and eventually we got there. Van also wanted others to have access to his new cooling vest. My passion to fulfill my brother's dream is how I landed on this road less traveled -- from novice founder to serial innovator of premium cooling gear. What better path than offering solutions that improve human endurance.

 

Oro Sports is not just a company, it’s a promise kept. To Van, and to you. 

A journey in pictures.