Adaptive Clothing: Apparel for Disabled & Senior Individuals
Gone are the days when fashion was only confined to certain beauty standards and body types. Today, the fashion and apparel space has become super inclusive. Though there is still a long way to go, at least designers and brands are attempting inclusivity. For instance, they’re featuring models of different ethnicities, sizes and abilities not just on their website but even in their campaigns. With inclusivity and diversity becoming the heart of the fashion industry, there is an all-new vertical that is slowly becoming popular among various age groups. We’re referring to adaptive clothing or accessible fashion.
What is Adaptive Clothing?
As the name implies, adaptive clothing is clothing that has been specially designed to suit the needs and demands of individuals with varying degrees of disabilities. Under this category, the term ‘disability’ is broadly defined. It includes those with congenital disabilities, temporary disabilities, physical disabilities, acquired disabilities owing to an injury or accident, and age-related disabilities. For example, aged people might have a problem opening and closing buttons, shoelaces or a zip.
With adaptive clothing, the person may not require help from a caregiver. It is designed keeping in mind an array of parameters including age, mobility, disability type and level of independence.
There is a common misconception that adaptive clothing is only limited to wheelchair users. Well, nothing like that. Adaptive clothing is for anyone who finds it difficult to wear conventional clothing. Those with Autism Spectrum Disorder can experience sensory sensitivities to certain fabrics. Adaptive clothing usually comes with elastic waistbands and stretchy fabrics that makes it easy for the wearer. Since the disability community is so diverse, designers can create innovative garments. Adaptive clothing doesn’t have to be boring and functional; it can be stylish too.
What Constitutes Adaptive Clothing?
There’s been a lot of chatter going on around adaptive clothing. However, what truly constitutes this vertical of clothing? Let’s find out:
Magnetic Closures
Senior citizens are usually low on muscle strength and have a lack of sensation owing to which they find it difficult to fasten buttons. An easy alternative to this is having magnetic closures. Having magnets makes it easier to button clothes even if it is done one-handed. Shirts and pants generally have many buttons. Replacing buttons with magnets is one way of making the clothing adaptive. Individuals who don’t have the dexterity find it easy to dress themselves. Not just magnetic closures, magnetic zips have also become popular.
Slip-on Shoes
Nike is a pioneer when it comes to adaptive shoes. People with disabilities usually find it difficult to bend down to tie-up their shoelace. Besides being difficult, a lot of individuals can’t even do it. For this reason, a lot of brands are doing away with the conventional shoelace. The shoes are either slip-ons or have zips to fasten them. This way, the footwear can be put on and taken off hands-free.
Tagless Clothing
Every piece of clothing we buy from any brand usually has a label attached to the back of the garment. Besides the brand, the size label may also be present. Adaptive clothing is all about sensory-friendly clothing items. You will be surprised to know that a lot of people have severe sensitivity to tactile sensation. Individuals suffering from autism are generally sensitive to tags, labels and certain fabrics. For this reason, brands are doing away with tags. It’s being replaced by tagless heat transfers and screen-print labels. Besides tagless clothes for individuals with disabilities, even baby onesies are made without them. Since labels come in direct contact with their skin, it can cause them discomfort.
Clothing for Wheelchair Users
If you’ve noticed, traditional clothing is designed for people to wear standing. Adaptive clothing on the contrary is designed for prolonged seated wear. Clothing made especially for wheelchair users is easy to put on, functional and much more comfortable. For example, pants are cut higher in the back and lower in the front to ensure maximum comfort.
Amputation & Prosthetic Garments
Another category under adaptive clothing is garments made for those who use prostheses. They usually have a challenge changing the size of the limb. Such clothes are designed for maximum comfort with an elastic waistband and zippers. Certain brands are even ready to alter the clothing for those with amputations.
Easy Access Points for Medical Equipment
There are a lot of individuals who wear medical devices. For them, there are a few specially designed garments with openings and access points. For example, if somebody is using a port or feeding tube, the apparel generally has openings that make it easy for the medical device to be attached.
Conclusion
Adaptive clothing is not just a clever marketing move. It’s much more than that. While technology is helping retailers put their collection online, they have to do a lot more than that. Besides clothing, it’s the duty of the brand to think about the wearer (target customer) and their entire shopping experience. Clothing will truly become adaptable when brands start adapting a vast number of their items.
Students pursuing masters of fashion management courses usually have adaptive clothing and conceptual design thinking in their curriculum. The aim of studying a fashion design and management course in Bangalore is not just making visually-stunning garments. It’s much more than that. It’s about keeping various considerations in mind and coming up with a brand that will revolutionise the fashion marketplace.
