è Ispirante - Creative Adaptive Clothing

Founder's Story

Business Description

As a tailor and costume designer with decades of experience, my goal is to make adaptive clothing that is not just functional but also fun and fashionable. è Ispirante. – Creative Adaptive Clothing was inspired by my friend’s daughter who had Cerebral  Palsy and wanted to be able to wear skirts similar the ones her classmates wore. Since it was difficult to transfer her in and out of her wheelchair with a full skirt on, I created a backless skirt to be worn over leggings or shorts.

A child can wear shorts or pants and easily be transferred into the wheelchair. The skirt is on a waistband that goes around the body after the child is seated, and fastens with Velcro, allowing for variable waist sizes within any given size. The skirt itself is a 3/4 skirt going around from side to side and leaves the back open for seated comfort. From the front, the skirt looks like a complete skirt, but without the discomfort of sitting on fabric or having to smooth the back fabric while sitting the child into the wheelchair at the same time. When it is time to take the child out of the wheelchair, simply remove the skirt and easily take the child out of the wheelchair. The ease of this design allows either the wearer or the assistant to effortlessly take the skirt on and off! The larger sizes of this skirt can also fit some adults.

Adults preferred to have a full back on their skirts, so I created a skirt that features a flat Skirt Back that is shaped to a seated figure, making it ideal for Adults in wheelchairs. The back is smooth, eliminating discomfort and sore spots from sitting on excess fabric. The back is cut higher, bringing it to the natural waistline when seated, and finished with an elasticized back casing for comfort. The front is shaped low, to eliminate the extra fabric that occurs when seated. Long side zippers make putting the skirt on and taking it off easy.

It is important that my clothing line is comfortable and easy to put put on and takeoff for people in wheelchairs, but I don’t want it to draw a hard line between adaptive clothing and clothing for able-bodied people. I would love to see as many inclusive pieces of clothing that can work for both. I am working on a jacket that would work for both groups. Currently, I have Berets that work for both. It is my attempt with these Berets and with some of the items in my Adaptive Line, to blur the line between these two groups of people to be more Inclusive.

In addition, I am also working on pants specifically for people in wheelchairs.