Contributed by Holly Chaimov
Whether you consider yourself a fashion maven or not, style and how we dress is an expression of self. Colors chosen, comfort, ease and fit – all combine to impact mood, send a message, and support our ability to complete daily activities. In the visioning and planning for our first Patterned for Parkinson’s adaptive showcase, we uncovered some exciting resources. We met talented designers, read blogs about inclusive design, and had our eyes open to the growing numbers of businesses and individuals who now include adaptive features in an effort to be inclusive for all. We hope you find your own inspiration to think broadly and incorporate some of what we uncovered in your own approach to independent dressing. (And, please periodically check back as we update and refine these resources for you!)
Parkinson’s: Stages and Solutions
Independence and the ability to seamlessly make choices in your wardrobe to fit your mood and activities varies immensely as people diagnosed with Parkinson’s advance along a continuum of disease progression. One goal with this project was not only to share information about clothes that are designed specifically for folks with a disability, but also to help our community identify and shop for “mainstream” features that can be found a most any retailer if you just know what to look for. To facilitate our conversations with students, sponsors and even each other, we started by creating an education tool – a chart organized by stage of PD progression, listing common symptoms and possible solutions to look for in a garment. You can see a copy of this here.
Inspired Blogs and Who We Follow
Getting dressed. In the past months many of our clients have shared their personal frustrations and challenges. Buttons. Zippers. Shoes. And Underwear. We heard a lot about the struggle with underwear! We could probably launch a whole series or sitcom documenting the trials and failures (some successes) of looking great, feeling confident and dressing a body that doesn’t always want to cooperate. If you are curious and want to see what others have to say about dressing independently, with a movement disorder, disability, or just plain DRESSING, here is a listing of folks we’ve been following….
Designing For All
As we stepping into the journey of learning more about fashion, design, and dressing bodies of all abilities – we were greeting enthusiastically by many cheerleaders. Early on, our friends at Zappos Adaptive embraced our vision for a Showcase of Adaptive design and signed on to style several of our client models. But, their spirit of generosity didn’t stop there. They took their commitment next level by introducing us to some of their key partners – Billy Footwear, IZ Adaptive, Smart Adaptive and Reboundwear to name a few. We also found that a growing number of national brands offer adaptive lines of clothing. We found solutions readily available at Target, Lands End and JC Penny to name a few. Lesson? When you are shopping or needing to make your next purchase for clothing or footwear, be sure to ask or search for “Adaptive”, you might be pleasantly surprised.
Of course, we worked closely with many smaller brands and even individual designers. While we couldn’t showcase all the products we were excited by, we did keep track and have a list of possible retailers, websites and Etsy shops for you to explore!