While fashion is often accused of not being inclusive enough for those who aren’t super skinny and/or white, Tommy Hilfiger is trying to combat this with the announcement that it is launching an adaptive line for people with disabilities. “Inclusivity and democratisation of fashion have always been at the core of my brand’s DNA,” Hilfiger himself told InStyle. “These collections continue to build on that vision, empowering the differently abled community.”
Designed with both those with disabilities and caretakers in mind, the collection consists of 34 women’s and 37 men’s styles. The pieces include magnetic closures to allow wearers to easily dress themselves, or for carers to easily dress others. Other notable features include trousers with Velcro closures, magnetic flies and zippers on top of specialised leg hems to account for leg braces and orthotics.
A report published earlier this year found that one in five UK residents have some form of disability that limited their daily activities – working out at around 13.3 million people. For such a huge number of the population, this group is still largely neglected by fashion brands, even if there have been some notable moments over the years such as the signing of wheelchair-user Jillian Mercado to IMG in 2015 following her appearance in a Diesel campaign.
This isn’t the American brand’s first step towards being more inclusive with its collections. Tommy Hilfiger has already released two collections for children with disabilities, partnering with Runway of Dreams – a foundation with the aim of promoting inclusivity within the fashion industry. While collections like this are a great step in the right direction for fashion, Tommy Hilfiger is sadly in the minority when it comes to this belief. Hopefully, it won’t be long before others follow suit.
