Allison Stroman - August is National Civility Month which is dedicated to “help the world remember to treat others the way we wish to be treated - with kindness, empathy, and respect”.
In an industry with high costs and seemingly too many options, disabled and plus size people face barriers to finding clothes that fit their bodies and needs. Additionally, finding items to fit one’s personal style is an entirely different challenge as many inclusive items do not have the same colorful, fun, and joyful vibe that straight size clothing has. That being said, there are many innovators in fashion dedicated to creating fun, functional, and comfortable clothing for a wide range of people.
In 2014, Mindy Scheier founded Runway of Dreams with inspiration coming from “her son Oliver, who has Muscular Dystrophy, dreamed of wearing jeans like everyone else”. So, with twenty years experience “in fashion on the design team for the INC collection and as a stylist for Saks Fifth Avenue” and studies in Fashion Design with the University of Vermont and FIT, Scheier put her design skills to work. Designing for Oliver, Scheier adapted a pair of jeans “that met his needs and increased his confidence”. Runway of Dreams holds a powerful mission at their core:
“Runway of Dreams empowers people with disabilities to have confidence and self-expression through fashion and beauty inclusion. We work to give people with disabilities access to fashion that excites and empowers them. We raise awareness, educate consumers, advocate for industry change and develop the next generation of innovators and leaders”
Soon after adapting Oliver’s jeans, she researched and developed “modifications that would meet the needs of the largest minority in our world- people with disabilities.” This would evolve into collaborations with Tommy Hilfiger, “Kohl’s, Target, JCPenney and Zappos.com”. Scheier then started Gamut Talent Management in 2019 to “represent people with disabilities and create a marketplace where businesses and industries can connect to this target audience”. Gamut and Runway and Dreams are joined in their missions with Runway of Dreams as the “company’s 501c3 partner”.
Founded by Victoria Jenkins in 2016, Unhidden creates “made-to-order tailoring and eveningwear in sustainable fabrics, with adaptive elements, such as invisible zips and wrap sleeves that enhance wearability for those living with a disability”. Jenkins places a specific emphasis on “colour and print” and “special consideration for those who may be undergoing hospital treatment to enable dignified dressing” as “those with health requirements would be limited to medicalised products devoid of any aesthetic consideration”. Unhidden is the “first adaptive brand to join the British Fashion Council as a member and to host solo runway shows on schedule”. Jenkins has “over 16 years experience” in fashion and, in combination with her personal experiences with disability, harnesses her “extensive garment construction knowledge with her to design stylish, comfortable clothing with unique features to allow her community to express themselves through fashion”. As an advocate and speaker, Victoria Jenkins has many accolades:
“She has been recognised by Vogue in their 25 most influential Powerhouse Women in September 2023 and named second most influential disabled person in the UK by the Shaw Trust Disability Power 100 List. Victoria was the adaptive expert presenter on C4 Unique Boutique series, has done 2 TedX Talks and appeared on Dragon’s Den. Victoria is an Ambassador for Models of Diversity and Purple Tuesday, she is Co-Chair of the Lilac Review and is a patron of the charities Icandance and Path to Success.”
Jenkins offers advice to disabled entrepreneurs and prospective fashion employees saying:
“Use your community; it is much easier to get fellow disabled and chronic sick people to support you and understand the challenges that you will face to then give you the confidence to go 'mainstream'; plus we do all network well together! There are some great groups on LinkedIn; join them!...And also listen to your instincts; there will be people who view you/ your business as a tick box exercise- sometimes it's still worthwhile, sometimes you have to step back from people. Don't be afraid to stand your ground and say no; you do not have to accept crumbs.
"Look at potential places you want to work and check their glass-door reviews for company culture. While you can absolutely advocate to be included, be prepared for a harder battle to get hired, to get access, to get accommodations. I'm afraid it is very damning; it is a tough industry for non disabled people so really think about what you're willing to accept and pick your battles!...demonstration of creativity, passion and a good portfolio is your key. Being innovative in how you approach brands and stand out is the secret to success, as well as knowing as much as you can about each brand/ area you want to work in…the more you can demonstrate what drives you and what your focus is the more desirable you become- I am lucky that adaptive fashion is my hyper focus, so don't be afraid to utilise where your skill set lies. Finally; do not tolerate bad behaviour- 'call it out with kindness' where possible. We are not yet in the safe position of being able to be labelled defensive or difficult; there will always be an excuse or reason that is claimed not to be related to your conditions.”
Erica Cole founded No Limbits in 2019 after finding a niche in altering jeans to accommodate her prosthetic: “I installed zippers on my sewing machine and made other alterations to accommodate my prosthesis. Unknowingly, I was creating adaptive clothing. And after some of my amputee friends requested alterations, I decided to start a small alterations business.” This became the launchpad for her ready-to-wear collection which started with one product on Kickstarter, “the Amp Pant, and the product that would become our bestselling Unlimbited Pant”. After “48 hours”, Cole and No Limbits reached the goal. Then appearing on Shark Tank, Cole presented on “how few options there were for disabled people in terms of accessible clothing” and the high-impact work she was doing in creating clothing for disabled people. Now, No Limbits is “a team of people with disabilities creating products we wish existed earlier”. Focusing on helping improve other’s quality of life, Cole and her team aim to “see everyone live life with No Limbits”. No Limbits offers lines with accommodations for sensory differences, wheelchair users, those with limited dexterity, and the original pants with the hidden zippers to accommodate braces and prosthetics. Each line has different modifications to target common areas that cause unnecessary difficulties like hidden zippers, seated shape, compression, and loops to ease dressing.
Patricia Luiza Blaj founded LOUDBODIES in 2018 “driven by her need to prove that style has no size and to make ethically produced sustainable clothing of all sizes available to people everywhere”. Blaj was uninspired by the “plain, baggy” clothes that were available in a wider size range, so she started her own line of sustainably created and size inclusive clothing, which offers sizes from 2XS to 10XL. LOUDBODIES’ mission centers embracing who you are and dressing how you want to dress:
“It’s time to embrace who you are. We all have bodies, we all have insecurities. So why stress so much about it, when it’s something we all have?...You are so much more than that…And YOU TOO deserve to be happy…And YOU TOO deserve to wear beautiful clothes that make you feel like you’re on top of the world…And YOU TOO deserve to be respected and serviced and represented by brands…And here, at LOUDBODIES, we vow to do just that.”
At their core, LOUDBODIES sits on core values of “[r]respect and empowerment” for both their customers and their employees. Earning twice the minimum wage as their starting salary, employees also get bonuses, raises, and pay increases regularly with Blaj’s goal to pay all employees “three times the minimum wage by the end of 2024”. Blaj further emphasizes a sustainable work environment through giving all employees their choice of hours, a lunch break “on [Blaj]”, as many breaks as they need, over 20 paid vacation days, and unlimited paid sick leave. In the small house where all the clothes are made, Blaj is involved from start to finish with each garment, working closely with the team to create pieces that are scaled and modified to properly fit different sizes. In terms of the fabric used, all the “cotton is organic and carries the GOTS certification, [and] we only use Ecovero viscose certified by Lenzing as well as Tencel/Lyocell exclusively certified by Lenzing” and these fabrics are sourced from “Portugal, Germany and France”. In terms of items like zippers and lining, these all comes from sustainable sources: “zippers from recycled materials, interlining from cotton or viscose and buttons from glass, metal or shell…[and] thread is made from either cotton or recycled polyester”. For printed items, all materials are OEKO-TEX 100 certified so “no harmful substances are used for the printing process”. Additionally, there is no plastic in the production process, with all packaging, hangtags, and thank you notes coming from recycled paper or compostable materials from cornstarch. As a vegan brand, LOUDBODIES turns all their offcuts into pillows for animal shelters and feeds all the stray animals that come by their atelier.
Alex Lunt and Lili Pham founded Nettle Studios in 2016 “over a couple of artisan pizzas doused in hot honey”. Lunt and Pham “fully embrace the weirdness of our own humanity, and hope that our pieces can inspire you to do the same” as their brand ethos centers on “making cool things for cool people”. All pieces at Nettle Studios are “designed, cut, and sewn by hand (with the help of our handy Juki Industrial machines of course) in our tiny studio in Potrero Hill, San Francisco” to avoid slipping into the harmful patterns prominent in fast fashion. With a made-to-order model and sizes from XXS to 6XL, each piece gets more attention, and it is possible to have customizations for the customer which “in turn prolong the life of the garments we make” and make them last for as long as possible. Lunt and Pham source their fabrics “from the Los Angeles garment district and the remainder from local Bay Area jobbers” with a strong preference for deadstock:
“We love how these types of fabrics are innately unique as they are no longer in production and are of limited stock, and we love that we get to divert waste from the landfill. Plus, we get to work with a lot of bonus prints, patterns, and weaves that are from different eras and bring their own flavors of interesting!”
For dyeing and printing pieces, Nettle Studios works with a “family owned dye house up in Marin County to dye small batches of our linen to get the fun and custom colors that we run”. The emphasis on using linen has two reasons: “its drape, hand, durability” and the fact that it “comes from flax and requires a lot less water than cotton to grow” which leads to less waste, especially since other parts of the flax plant are frequently used for other products. Additionally, flax “generally requires less pesticides, herbicides and other toxic chemicals to produce” and the linen “ages well and with the correct care, becomes softer and even more luxurious to wear over time”. All these factors provide the basis for Nettle Studios’ focus on linen. In terms of packaging and other materials, they use recycled paper and compostable or recyclable materials. Lunt and Pham’s mission centers joy and bringing people together in comfort and bright colors:
“We love what we do and we want our pieces to live in the world in harmony. All of our pieces are designed with this core belief in mind and we strive to be as size and gender inclusive as possible. We believe that clothing is meant to be comfortable and should only aid you in your journey to feeling good. We love interacting with our customers and we love seeing how our pieces are serving you in the real world.”