For a very long time, the fashion industry left people with disabilities behind. The few clothing options available were shapeless, drab and closer to hospital garb than anything that could come off a New York runway. “There’s been this stereotype that we can’t take care of ourselves, which means we can’t be fashionable,” says Chelsie Hill, a 28-year-old dancer and model who’s been using a wheelchair ever since a spinal cord injury left her paraplegic at 17.
In this article
- What is adaptive clothing?
- Where to shop for adaptive clothing
- Best stylish adaptive clothes to shop
As discussions around inclusivity in fashion picked up in fervor over the last two years (searches for adaptive fashion increased by 80 percent in 2019, according to fashion platform Lyst), brands like UGGs and American Eagle have reacted, launching lines of adaptive clothing, apparel that is some combination of adjustable, accessible and