Adaptive fashion is the future of the industry

Everyone has different requirements when it comes to fashion – be it size, colour, cut or material. Adaptive fashion, or barrier-free clothing suitable for disabled people, is essential to enabling a sustainable, holistic and equal future for the fashion industry.

According to the  European Commission (as of 2022), around 87 million people in the EU have a disability that requires them to wear adaptive fashion. In other words, there's a concrete demand for styles that cater to the different needs of these people.

Here's everything you need to know about adaptive fashion (and why it's here to stay):

What is adaptive fashion?

Adaptive mode makes everyday life easier, especially for disabled people. The pieces, often equipped with additional functions such as zippers or Velcro fasteners, smart details and practical solutions, are created for people previously unrepresented in mainstream fashion.

“It's not about taking something that already exists and then adapting it to the needs of people with disabilities; it's about creating garments that everyone can use. Part of the solution is making people with disabilities visible. Still, brands and companies must also be open to authentic change: to learn and to adapt,” Gordon Reid, a Paralympian tennis player, tells Glamour.

“So if there is no motivation from within, then it becomes difficult to really change anything. So it's important that there are pioneers who start with it and set an example that others can draw inspiration from," adds the wheelchair tennis pro.

Adaptive fashion is about inclusivity

Thanks to mass production and standardised size models, there is little room for individual styles that are aimed at individual needs. Making the people behind them visible and engaging is the goal of adaptive fashion, which works to prioritise inclusivity.

“The biggest mistake brands make is that they expect everyone to fit one size or style. We know that's not the case – exactly the same is true for disabilities. There is a wide range and with each comes different needs when it comes to clothing. So we have to try to stay flexible and adaptive and learn from personal experiences. That's why projects and workshops like Uniqlo's are important because they bring different perspectives together and try to understand how they can change the status quo,” explains Gordon Reid.

Of course, the spatial and structural level must also be included since shopping in physical stores is still associated with bypassing barriers such as accessibility, a lack of equipment (different types of dressing aids) or space in changing rooms.

Gordon Reid knows this from his own experience: “Many stores are not accessible to people with disabilities, be it at the entrance, due to a lack of lifts or changing rooms that are too small or not adequately equipped. Of course, that makes the whole shopping experience difficult. So it's important to educate people and show them where there is a need."

Adaptive fashion: Which brands, initiatives, approaches and role models already exist for accessible fashion?

1. Intotum

Intotum is an adaptive fashion brand founded in 2023. It recently launched a collection of adaptive workwear, including features like adaptive fastenings, seated cuts and pieces that work with mobility aids like wheelchairs. Common features in conventional workwear, such as stiff waistbands, small buttons, unbreathable fabrics, tight seams and fixed tailoring, can be uncomfortable to wear all day and make it difficult for people with disabilities to get dressed. This is a challenge especially for those who experience chronic pain, joint conditions, sensory sensitivities, fatigue or use mobility aids.

Intotum's founder, Hanan Tantush, had this to say about the workwear launch: “Clothing should support people to live, work, and express themselves, not restrict them. For many disabled people, what to wear to work isn’t a small decision. It affects pain levels, energy, movement, and confidence throughout the day. We design clothing that fits the body, rather than asking the body to fit the clothing.”

2. Equal Eyes

After Selma Gedik experienced how difficult it is for her short cousin to find fashionable clothes, she underwent a lot of research and founded the fashion label Auf Augenhöhe, committed to an inclusive fashion world since 2021. The Berlin label specialises in clothing for people with achondroplasia (genetic short stature), but on request, you can also have personalised pieces and exchange ideas together. In addition to inclusive and adaptive product developments, Selma and her team advise companies on all aspects of inclusive and adaptive design – because fashion is for everyone and starting is not as difficult as you think!

3. Von Ruz

British designer Vongai Noreen Ruzive's label aims to offer inclusive garments and change the fashion industry with innovative designs. Through her siblings, who were both diagnosed with autism, she knows how important it is to make everyday products such as clothing accessible and barrier-free. Von Ruz has garnered a lot of attention for her designs like the detachable leather jacket. Each of the products can also be personalised and further adapted – this is easily done via an additional field when ordering and enables women with a wide variety of disabilities to be able to wear stylish fashion pieces.

4. Chamiah Dewey

Personal approaches are always the best way to drive change. That's what British designer Chamiah Dewey thought, too. Through a youth program in 2018, she became aware of how few options the fashion world has for little people. In 2022, in close cooperation with women of short stature, she began to develop the first tailor's dummy in the form of a woman with achondroplasia. This was followed by a long period of development and product steps, which then led to Chamiah Dewey being able to produce the first collection of her eponymous label. The brand has received several awards for its work to make the fashion industry more sustainable and diverse and presented its designs in October 2022, as part of London Fashion Week.

5. Uniqlo

“Made for all” is the motto. To live up to this motto, Uniqlo teamed up with Sema Gedik, the founder of “Auf Augenhöhe” in 2023.

As part of the Uniqlo Inclusive Fashion Project, designs were developed together with wheelchair users. The main focus was on the categories of shirts, blouses and jeans, but also general awareness of the topic, which was discussed in a panel talk with Sema Gedik, the wheelchair tennis player and Global Brand Ambassador Gordon Reid, and other workshop participants.

6. Zalando

In October 2022, Zalando set an important example for barrier-free fashion concepts that appeal to everyone who lives with restricted mobility, manual dexterity or sensory sensitivity. In cooperation with the consulting agency All is for All, the company launched adaptive collections consisting of more than 140 styles within its own brands Zign, Pier One, Anna Field, Yourturn and Even&Odd.

7. Tommy Hilfiger

Tommy Hilfiger wants to promote the independence of its customers with clothing to match: one-hand zips, magnetic buttons, hook and loop closures. Other adjustable properties and leg openings for prostheses, greaves, orthoses and bandages are also taken into account when designing. There is also a separate category for this on the website, with clothing for children and adults. Since 2016, Tommy Hilfiger has been working to continuously develop its adaptive collections in collaboration with people with disabilities.

8. Nike

FlyEase is Nike's (fashionable) answer to the question of what adaptive styles can look like in sports. Nike is at the forefront as an innovator and announced the release of the hands-free sneaker in February 2021. The "Go FlyEase" sneaker can be worn without using your hands via a mechanism on the heel.

While you're here, you should definitely have these influencers, fashion professionals and creatives on your radar:

1.Louise Linderoth

2. April Lockhart

3. Bri Scarlesse

4. Fats Timbo

5. Jonna Ross

6. Monique Dior Zebedee

7. Cathy Reay

8. Gemma Adby

9. Aaron Rose Philip

10. Sinead Burke

11. Melis Gedik

A version of this article was originally published in GLAMOUR Germany.