According to the World Health Organization, around one in five Europeans lives with some form of disability.
What does fashion, the fashion industry, do for these people?
Of course there are different degrees of disability and therefore different effects on clothing, but in a changing society, which we all want to be more inclusive, more open to complexity and less assertive about the sizes needed to be fashionable, the style to follow, the models of beauty to aspire to, any change in fashion will be well received.
It's called 'adaptive fashion' in jargon and brands are increasingly involved, for market and business reasons and also, not least for the brand's reputation, a fundamental value now.
Tommy Hilfiger is a global lifestyle brand that has consistently invested in and produced adaptive fashion since 2017, and Zalando, a leading European online platform for fashion and lifestyle, has launched its first adaptive fashion collection consisting of over 140 styles through its private labels: Zign, Pier One, Anna Field, Yourturn and Even&Odd.
But Italian brands are also arriving like D-Different.
Something is finally really moving and even a widespread and very popular brand like Primark launched an adaptive and economically accessible underwear fashion collection in January 2024.
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Adaptive fashion is clothing, footwear and accessories that meet the needs of disabled people, intentionally designed to be accessible to people living with permanent or temporary disabilities.
From the moment they were conceived, these products have been studied with particular measures to allow people with disabilities to wear clothes and accessories, perhaps independently without anyone's help or even simply more comfortable and immeasurably.
We have all experienced the difficulties of getting dressed or putting on a pair of shoes if we have pain or an injury, imagine what it means to have a disability, even just pulling up a pair of trousers can be a challenge, for example to stay on track trouser theme a model with a simple drawstring at the waist to pull up is a game changer.
To give other examples, zippers on clothes are produced with tabs to make closing easier, trousers and shirts with magnets or velcro instead of buttons and zips, elasticized fabrics that are easier to wear.
The labels are removed to avoid small (but in practice decisive) rubbing, precautions that those who design adaptive fashion collections put into practice.
Something that wasn't there before or perhaps by intuition was asked from the trusted tailor.
There is nothing to be happy about this progress in the sector.
Furthermore, we also talk about style, it is nice to see that the new adaptive fashion collections are not only practical, comfortable, inclusive for people with disabilities but also beautiful and not at all different in appearance from those for those who are not disabled and this is also a very important fact for true inclusiveness.
It's about making people autonomous even in everyday dressing.
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Primark's adaptive lingerie
Primark launches its
first collection of adaptive lingerie
in January 2024 with the aim of making fashion increasingly accessible and affordable for everyone.
The well-known brand of Irish origin with now 70 thousand employees in 16 countries introduces adaptive fashion items, with the intention of applying this inclusive design to a growing number of collections in the future.
Made up of four different products, the collection will be available in selected stores (also in Italy): it is a seamless bra, made of recycled nylon with magnetic closures on the front (12 euros), lace bralette, with a deep neckline and closure magnetic on the front (12 euros), briefs, in the basic color of black and with magnetic closures on each side (10 euros) and cycle briefs, in the basic color of black and made of recycled nylon with magnetic closures on each side (12 euro), all available from 2XS to 2XL.
The range was designed in collaboration with specialized technicians, as well as gathering the experiences and points of view of people with disabilities, thus combining functional elements such as magnetic closures with soft-touch fabrics and feminine designs.
The campaign features models Emma, Glen and Tegan, with images shot by photographer Esme Moore.
Building on the work we have done to date, which includes working with disabled talent on advertising campaigns, offering accessible checkout points and dedicated changing rooms for people with disabilities, Primark is committed to driving change across its store network.
Primark is also working with accessibility specialist Dr Shani Dhanda, as well as global disability organization Purple Tuesday and leading corporate disability inclusion membership organization Business Disability Forum to help review policies, processes and channels to improve the culture of accessibility throughout the company.
“People with disabilities face much higher living costs and this is demonstrated by the fact that the choices available when it comes to clothing are often limited and expensive.
I regularly experience firsthand the frustration of not finding clothes that fit my body, which inevitably highlights the barriers deeply ingrained in our society.
In this context, companies play a fundamental role in breaking down these barriers which profoundly impact the daily lives of people with disabilities.
That's why I'm thrilled with Primark's commitment to inclusivity and accessibility.
Its global and holistic approach is in fact ideal for breaking down the various barriers faced not only by their clients, but also by their colleagues,” said Dr. Shani Dhanda.
“For people with disabilities, purchasing clothes in major shopping destinations is a real challenge.
Being able to easily access shops and have a choice of clothing that - said Mike Adams OBE, Founder of Purple Tuesday - meets your needs is unfortunately not the norm for many consumers with disabilities.
In this context, Purple Tuesday is an initiative that aims to improve the experience of customers with disabilities globally, across all sectors.
We are therefore delighted to be working with Primark as a leading retail retailer on its disability inclusion journey, supporting it to achieve its accessibility goals and remove the barriers faced by people with disabilities shopping in their stores. sale".
Zalando's adaptive collection
The Zalando collection includes women's and men's apparel, as well as footwear, and is part of the company's commitment to provide a truly inclusive assortment and experience for underrepresented groups by 2025. They have also included the Tommy Hilfiger Adaptive collection in nine markets , including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Switzerland.
With the launch of adaptive fashion, Zalando wants to take a first step and address disabled people who live with disabilities of different types such as reduced mobility and limited dexterity, as well as sensory sensitivity.
It is also aimed at caregivers of children with disabilities.
Early collection styles include seated designs for wheelchair use, sensory-friendly constructions, pieces with easy closures, and styles that accommodate prosthetics or bandages.
"We see a gap in the fashion market: finding fashionable adaptive clothing is still a challenge for disabled people. By launching adaptive collections under our Private Labels and introducing the Tommy Hilfiger Adaptive collection to our customers, we hope to help solve this challenge. We want to learn from the disabled community and inspire our partners, so that together we can continue to build an enjoyable experience for our disabled customers and make fashion even more inclusive,” commented Sara Diez, VP Category Women and Private Labels at Zalando.
Grace Stratton, director of All is for All, the creative agency specializing in helping brands to be truly inclusive and accessible to disabled people, who participated in the new production said: “Our vision is to be the starting point for a fashion that welcomes all. “Beyond its functional impacts, disability is a community, a shared lived experience, something to be understood, appreciated more deeply by non-disabled people and embraced.”
The D-Different collection for disabled athletes
Among the new brands,
D-Different, the first clothing line designed by disabled athletes:
adaptive, fashionable, green, aimed in particular at people with a physical disability - permanent or temporary - who do not want to give up their freedom of movement.
The aim of D-Different is to eliminate the "daily barrier" of clothing: it is designed by disabled people, and not for disabled people.
And it is for everyone, because it can also be worn by those who don't have physical problems.
These are clothes designed in a "different" way, that is, with particular technical solutions that make them easily wearable and in total autonomy.
The line is made up of shirts and cardigans with magnetic buttons;
sweatshirts with magnetic zips and invisible zips on the arms;
trousers with invisible side zippers, from ankle to hip;
trench coat that can be divided in half with a zip;
up to an outfit designed for wheelchair users, consisting of a blazer and jeans.
The collection, in addition to being made in Italy, is produced in a sustainable way, following the idea of "recycling" of materials.
The clothes, in fact, are made with archive materials, i.e. with pre-existing fabrics.
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