You probably wouldn't think much about what a deceased loved one would wear to his or her burial, but burial garments have become designer Pia Interlandi's entire career.

Interlandi tells FastCo that after the death of her grandfather, she realized that little to no care was going into the change of costume - in terms of functionality. Indeed, 'functionality' might seem like an odd choice of word, but Interlandi says there's much more to the final change of clothes than meets the eye.

The body becomes stiffer in the joints and unexpectedly heavy. Because of this, dressing a dead body basically requires a new way of dressing someone, where you turn their garments upside down.

Dress a corpse in nylon tights or stockings, and they will constrict around the waist and act as pressure tights around the legs. The result is that when deterioration sets in the bacteria can't easily get down the legs or around the torso, resulting in the legs mummifying while the upper body rots normally.

Interlandi's line appears to be a more dignified way of death. She only uses natural fabrics in her one-size-fits-all robes, some of which include calico, cotton, silk, and lace. Plus they're designed to make dressing the dead as easy as possible.

First, the open robe is laid down in the empty coffin like a sheet so that the body can be laid on it. Then either a family member or funeral director would need to pin the front as they would a robe.

Interlandi takes custom requests to accommodate size, age, and religion. Each robe costs $80.