Adaptive Clothing Goes Mainstream

How we dress often reflects our unique personality but until recently, people with disabilities, loss of limb, arthritis or movement disorders have had little to choose from in the way of adaptive clothing. 

Whether aging in place and striving to living independently with tremors or deficits as a result of a stroke, or young and using leg braces or orthotics, dressing well with greater ease has always been a challenge.  American clothing designer Tommy Hilfiger answers this need and has expanded his retail line to include adaptive clothing for men, women, boys and girls.

Hilfiger collaborated recently with non-profit Runway of Dreams to created a spring line of clothing for differently-abled children and has since broadened the collection to include adult clothes that make dressing easier. 

Adjustable velcro waists and hems with concealed magnet closures make it possible to get dressed with less difficulty.  Leg and neck opening can widen to accommodate braces or other medical devices and magnetic zippers on outerwear make it possible to dress using only one hand.  Shirts, blouses and dresses use hidden magnets closures while preserving the traditional look of classic button down shirts, jeans, sweaters, chinos and cords.

Magnetic closures make dressing easier but can interfere with implanted medical devices such as pacemakers.  Check with your doctor to make sure dressing with magnetic closures is safe.  If a magnet becomes exposed due to wear, care should be taken around children; seek medical attention if a magnet is swallowed.

To view the entire line of Tommy Adaptive clothing, currently only available in the United States, visit the Tommy Hilfiger website by following this link. 

In Canada, Brown Healthcare has partnered with a company that has a wide range of adaptive clothing for men and women.