What Is Adaptive Fashion? A Complete Guide to Inclusive Design

Written by Jet Thurmond

What Is Adaptive Fashion?

“Adaptive” describes the ability to change to suit dynamic conditions. Throughout the narrative history of fashion, this term was used in a purely functional sense.  Until recently, the fashion industry ignored the needs of people with disabilities and limitations as well as their communities.

 

The elderly population is growing world-wide and they often have physical limitations that make it hard for them to dress. All these people still want and deserve to look fashionable, however. People with physical or sensory limitations or disabilities had few clothing options.

 

In an interview with Runway of Dreams founder Mindy Scheier, she mentions her son with disabilities who wore sweatpants every day out of necessity. He was unable to wear regular pants or jeans due to difficulty dressing and undressing for simple tasks. He claimed that wearing these made him “feel like he was dressing disabled.”

 

People like Mindy Scheier’s son with disabilities had two options at the time: they could acquire clothing designed only to meet medical needs or have traditionally designed clothing altered after purchase to meet their needs. Clothing made to address limitations was nearly exclusively manufactured in drab colors with a boxy fit and with lower quality materials. Despite the small but growing market, most of the fashion industry’s focus did not turn to adaptive fashion until recently.  

 

Men and women with different abilities model adaptive clothing while using mobility aids showcasing adaptive fashion

Models for Runway of Dreams. Photographer: Abby Drucker; Image via runwayofdreams.org

Inclusivity In Fashion

Around 2016, an intentionality developed in designers to provide new options to this forgotten market: options that combined fashion and function. Today, there are fashion brands that specifically cater to the disabled community who utilize adaptive features that, while providing medical functionality, focus on the aesthetic of the clothing.

 

There appears to be an industry-wide focus on this market, with Vogue Business referring to it as “the $400 Billion adaptive opportunity.” For the first time, people with disabilities have access to more of what the industry has to offer.

 

People with disabilities are just like everyone else and want to be able to express themselves through fashion. This is now becoming possible as designers turn their focus towards the future of adaptive fashion. 

Adaptive Fashion Features

What are some of the features that make clothing adaptive? They do not look vastly different from what already exists in the industry beyond adaptive clothing. Many of the changes are so small they are hardly noticeable, but they make a big difference to the wearers.

 

Some examples of these include swapping out the standard buttons or zipper with special closure types, such as magnetic options. These closures are common in adaptive clothing and allow the wearer of a garment to have a simpler time putting it on. These are often combined with wide leg openings and side seam openings for even more adaptability.

 

Another category of adaptive features is seated wear. People who use wheelchairs can benefit from these adaptive features as they make clothing more comfortable and simpler to remove and put on. Once again, there is minimal change to the overall garment. For seated wear bottoms, the front rise is shortened for comfort so fabric bunches less easily, while the back rise is higher for coverage. 

 

For those with sensory issues, traditional clothing elements such as tags, seams, or scratchy fabrics might be overstimulating and become difficult to wear. Sensory friendly clothing is another adaptive feature that removes these irritants by removing tags, instead opting for heat pressed options, and replacing traditional threads and seams.

 

Visual impairment is often overlooked even in the adaptive wear sector. However, QR codes on the tags or the use of tactile clothing tape with braille imprints allows the wearer to have easy access to clothing information such as color and care instructions.

Brands Creating Stylish Adaptive Fashion

There are many brands in the modern fashion industry that have focused their efforts on creating beautiful, functional adaptive clothing for this too long forgotten demographic. These brands are making great strides towards inclusivity, and their efforts have not gone unnoticed.

 

Woman with a prosthetic arm sits on a black stool on a porch wearing black blazer with zippered removable arms and a wrap skirt showing stylish adaptive fashion.

Blazer with fully removable zipper sleeves and a wrap skirt, both by Von Ruz. Image via vonruz.com

 

Here are a few brands that have our attention currently: 

Von Ruz, created by Vongi Noreen Ruzive. Recently released an adaptive fashion line that utilizes accessible closures including magnetic zippers and snaps, wrap skirts, and more. Ruzive’s designs are also fully detachable, increasing their functionality for wearers. Ruzive’s designs are not just for people with disabilities either.

A person without disabilities can use the multiple zipper closures as a design feature beyond adaptability. Our hope is that other designers take note of this, and use it as inspiration for future endeavors.

A group of racially diverse people with various physical disabilities wearing adaptive fashion. All wear Social Surge logo t-shirts and jeans as they sit/stand with their mobility aides and a seeing eye dog.

Image via disabilityinsider.com

Social Surge, created by Meredith Aleigha Wells. Social Surge is a disability and non-binary owned company that takes a more universal approach to adaptive fashion. To Wells, clothing should be functional and wearable for all people, not just specific groups. Their designs are streamlined and simple, but feature special modifications like wheelchair friendly pockets, magnetic zippers, and braille printed identification. 

While Social Surge is truly adaptive and features disabled models on their website, Wells has stated that there are issues within the fashion industry regarding disabled models. In a quote from an interview with WhoWhatWear, Wells states that “Unfortunately… just because an article of clothing is on a disabled model doesn’t mean that the garment accommodates their needs or that people with disabilities were involved in creating the apparel...” 

 

Focus is also being drawn to adaptive fashion at the university level. Many colleges have begun to highlight the necessity of adaptive clothing and their students have made it a feature of their early design careers. 

 

Students from Columbia College Chicago stand with their adaptive fashion designs for brand Joe and Bella. Designs are three adaptive tops displayed on dress forms.

Winning design by Columbia College Chicago students for Joe and Bella, an adaptive fashion brand. Image via colum.edu

Education Fashion Students About Adaptive Clothing

Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee is working to create an adaptive fashion lab specifically to design clothing for the people with disabilities. The idea was spearheaded by Vanderbilt design students, some of whom are students with disabilities.

 

This lab will be able to adapt clothing people already own as well as create adaptive clothing from scratch. Additionally, the lab will teach others the process of creating these specialized garments.

 

At Columbia College Chicago, their Fashion Studies students partnered with Joe & Bella, an adaptive apparel brand that caters to an older demographic that has difficulty dressing. The students created multiple adaptive designs, and one design was chosen by the brand to be sold: a mix-and-match blouse set. The set features a removable poncho and side zippers for easier undressing. 

 

North Carolina State University also made strides in adaptive fashion as students in Wilson College of Textiles created adaptive designs for the North Carolina Spinal Cord Industry Association. The designs were featured in a runway show for a women’s empowerment conference held by the NCSCIA in June of 2022. 

 

Mannequin dressed in bright red adaptive track suit sits in a wheelchair next to a Runway of Dreams Foundation plinth at Marist College. Three other dressed mannequins on wooden risers in the background showing adaptive fashion.

Adaptive clothing on display at Marist College from their Runway of Dreams chapter. Image via marist.edu

 

The University of Delaware has a class on the topic of adaptive fashion and has held events for those that are curious to learn more about adaptive apparel and technology in the industry. On February 1st, Marist College students unveiled The Adaptive Exhibit promoted by the Runway of Dreams chapter at the university.

 

All of the clothing on display was carefully sourced and proves just how far adaptive fashion has come and how the fashion industry can create widespread awareness for those within the industry and consumers.

 

Adaptive Fashion has made progress by leaps and bounds. It began only meeting a medical necessity yet it is blossoming into fashion with true inclusivity. Fashion brands, independent designers, and universities are giving plenty of sources of inspiration for industry experts and those just starting out. Clothing that adapts to accommodate the wearer can provide an immense boost of confidence for people with disabilities, just as clothing has the capability to do for all people.