Adaptive fashion is being talked about more and more in popular fashion publications, but what does adaptive fashion mean?
Adaptive fashion or adaptive clothing refers to specially designed clothing for disabled people.
It's important to recognize that adaptive clothing is an umbrella term used to describe clothing that is specially designed for people with disabilities and the clothing itself can focus on different disabilities.
Since disabilities are not monolithic, adaptive fashion comes in many forms and types. While the overarching goal of adaptive fashion is for people to be able to feel comfortable and confident, different types of adaptive clothing have different end goals and purposes.
For example, some adaptive clothing make it easier for people who have limited mobility to dress themselves independently. Another type of adaptive clothing can provide extra opening so people can have easier access to parts of their bodies that would normally be hard to reach in standard garments. On the other hand, other types of adaptive clothing can be accommodating sensory overstimulation.
You may even own clothing that is accessible without even knowing it! Clothing made to accommodate for sensory overstimulation can be seamless or tagless. They can also have different seam finishes, a wider neck, softer fabric, or looser fit.
Sensory-friendly clothing is one of the most common types of adaptive clothing. Its popularity is a good thing! The more popular or common adaptive clothing is, the more accessible it is for people who need it.
Check your closet, you may be surprised that something you own can actually be considered as adaptive fashion!