Representation Station: Children’s Clothing
Over the last few years, more and more disability representation has made its way into mainstream media and culture, especially where it concerns children. In this series, we’ll highlight categories where we’ve seen significant disability representation and share more about what’s available, who it’s impacting, and why it’s important.
One industry in which we see growing disability representation is in children’s clothing. Of course there are hundreds of brands that cater to people with disabilities, but a few stand out in particular.
Koolway Sports
This Canadian based company creates custom outerwear designed specifically for disabled people, enabling them to achieve their maximum level of independence in all aspects of life. Notably, their product line includes coats specifically made for wheelchair users with arms that can zip, buckle, or snap on and off with openings for ports, feeding tubes, and other medical devices, boots that can cover orthotics, blankets that wrap around mobility devices, and gloves that are easy to pull on. Koolway Sports products can be made to suit any mobility device, body shape, medical or mobility needs, and more. Even better, the bright color options allow the wearer to express their personal style in a way that is both adaptive and fashionable.
Billy Footwear
When Billy Price became paralyzed from the chest down from a 3 story fall, he lost the ability to move much of his body, including his hands and fingers. Not only did he suddenly face a lot of mobility challenges, but daily tasks like putting on shoes and clothes became much more difficult to do without assistance. This experience led Billy and his business partner, Darin Donaldson, to delve deeper into the world of Universal Design -- the practice of creating items and spaces that are accessible and appealing to everyone. In the years following his accident, Billy learned tricks to be able to put on most items of clothing except one: shoes. This inspired Billy and Darin to design pairs of shoes that were universally designed, adaptive for disabled users, and marketable to the population at large. Billy Footwear’s functional, fashion-forward, inclusive gym shoes and boots come highly recommended by disabled people and caregivers. Thanks to a wide-framed zipper that extends all the way around the toes and the base of the shoes, it allows foot and leg braces to easily slip into the shoe without having to stretch, cut, or modify the shoe at all. The zipper is easy to grasp and pull, making the shoe much easier to secure than a traditional, less accessible loop-and-swoop shoelace tie. The average price point of the shoes rivals the cost of a pair of gym shoes from most box brand retailers, which allows children to own multiple pairs of Billy shoes and not break the bank. Fashion meets function is the future of Billy Footwear!
Social Surge
Social Surge started with an idea to create universal, inclusive styles that blend accessibility and fashion together in order to make getting dressed easier, but ultimately, the aim is to create clothes that are accessible to everyone. Their first clothing line pieces included simple yet bold designs in extended sizes, but upon further reflection, they recognized that their clothing could be made accessible to other groups being completely excluded from fashion as well. One such improvement they made is to use Universal Design to create clothing that is not only accessible to the disabled population, but also gender neutral. In a recent article in the Chicago Tribune, Social Surge founder Meredith Wells, a wheelchair user herself, describes Social Surge’s work as “flipping the script,” saying, “Instead of building a T-shirt, and then trying to find a consumer, Social Surge knows the consumer and asks them: What are your struggles when it comes to getting dressed? What could you really use in a garment?" This focus on Universal Design reinforces the idea that when we design for disability, we create a more accessible product for all.
Target
In the summer of 2017 Target launched its first adaptive clothing items under the widely popular Cat and Jack label. It started off with 40 pieces that included sensory friendly, tagless shirts made of super soft cotton, pants with wide ankles to suit AFOs and orthotics, and onesies with openings to access ports and feeding tubes. Since the launch, Target has expanded their offerings to include Halloween costumes designed for wheelchair users, easy on and off coats, ponchos, zip up shoes, and more. Disabled children, adults, and caregivers were even part of the design process, giving a voice to the community these products serve.
An adaptive clothing line from a big player like Target makes a bold statement for inclusion in a world where adaptive clothing has historically been extremely expensive and only available through special orders. With Target’s generous return policy, parents can purchase multiple sizes and styles for their child to try on and find what works best for both their sizing and sensory needs. The price point, widespread access, and evolving clothing styles makes Target’s Cat and Jack adaptive clothing line the gold standard for the future of universally designed clothing!
In the next installment, we’ll explore toys and toy companies that integrate disability representation into their product lines. For more information about designing to remove barriers, check out this post about Universal Design!