Style and substance
With growing awareness of the need for inclusivity in fashion, brands are finally stepping up with adaptive ranges that celebrate individuality, offering function as well as style, writes Denise Smith
Tommy Hilfiger Adaptive sweatshirt dress €79.90
Skims Adaptive briefs, €22, and bralette, €36
Nike Glide FlyEase easy on/off trainers, €119.99
Slick Chicks adaptive briefs, €24
Little Auricles snowflake gemstone hearing aid jewellery, €27.44
Tommy Hilfiger Adaptive trucker jacket, €149.90
Human Collective The Snug, €72
Neo walk stick, from €65, neo-walk.com
Multi use bracelet, from €15
Ugg Bailey boots, €200, zalando.ie
Inclusion has been a perpetual buzzword in the fashion arena — we’ve sat on the sidelines of the plus-sized debate and watched as the first transgender models sashayed down the catwalk. But despite those strides toward equality, there is still a gaping chasm in the fashion arena where adaptive and disability-friendly clothes should exist.
Major fashion players like Tommy Hilfiger, Nike and Ugg have forged the way with adaptive collections that celebrate everyone’s right to expression. While smaller, independent retailers are also changing the fashion landscape with designs that are equally functional and stylish.
Kim Kardashian isn’t just using different body types and ethnicities in her clothing campaigns, she has also created an adaptive range in her shapewear brand, Skims.
With designs featuring magnetic closures for those who struggle with buttons, velcro straps for ease of use and laceless runners, a greater focus on adaptive clothing could change a person’s entire experience with their wardrobe. There is still a way to go — but happily change is coming.
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cold snap | Temperatures could reach 10C today but weather to hit freezing point next week
rowing back | Justice Minister welcomes Alan Dukes’ apology for linking Border people with violence
Hole in one | Portmarnock Golf Club ‘becomes gender-neutral’ and elects first female members
breaking: | Secret recording of Gerry Hutch conversations CAN be used in evidence, court rules
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