I just discovered something pretty neat in the world of fashion! Tommy Hilfiger has an adaptive clothing line called Tommy Adaptive for adults and children with disabilities, making getting dressed in the morning easy, functional, and stylish.

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Launched in 2016 the Tommy Adaptive collection was inspired by Tommy Hilfiger’s own children with autism and is designed with the user in mind. There are pieces designed for those who use wheelchairs, such as pants with a shorter front rise to reduce the fabric from bunching up and a higher rise in the back for more coverage.

There are button-down shirts, shirt dresses, and pants with hidden magnetic closures and faux buttons that have the same classic look giving more independence to those who have limited dexterity.

Along with magnetized buttons, are one-handed zippers on hoodies and jackets that are magnetized at the base. Check out the video below:

Tommy Adaptive is taking a step in the right direction. Creating clothing for people with disabilities includes them in the world of fashion allowing them to not only look and feel stylish but also includes them in the modeling part of fashion. Who better to model adaptive clothing other than the ones who will be wearing it?

The main downside to this is cost. Of course, Tommy Hilfiger is on the more expensive side of fashion and many will not be able to afford a higher-end brand like Tommy Hilfiger. However, with Tommy Hilfiger paving the way, perhaps other brands will take note and create their own adaptive lines making adaptive clothing more mainstream.

According to an article by Vogue, adaptive clothing has been on the rise not only with brands like Tommy Hilfiger but Christian Siriano, Zappos, and Target. The article notes that many people cannot afford such luxury brands like Hilfiger and Siriano, but still the focus mostly remains on the high-end side of fashion. Of course I don’t expect Vogue to linger on brands that are not high-end, however, I do think since it is the fashion magazine, Vogue should have a little more responsibility to bring this issue to the forefront and advocate for more affordable brands to follow suit.

Getting the ball rolling in and of itself is great – we need people to know that there are options available for people with disabilities but we also need clothing brands to have more inclusive clothing options as well. The more noise we make in the fashion industry, the more likely brands will adopt this practice.

You can shop the Tommy Adaptive line using this link https://usa.tommy.com/en/tommy-adaptive