è IspíranTE - Creative Adaptive Clothing
WHAT IS ADAPTIVE CLOTHING?
Adaptive clothing is designed to help people with disabilities, the elderly, and others who have difficulty dressing themselves. It can make dressing easier and more comfortable, and can also help caregivers dress their loved ones. Some features it might include are Velcro or magnetic closures, elastic waistbands, and zippers that are strategically placed. This extra stretch and openings can make it easier to pull on pants, shirts, and footwear.
Adaptive clothing is designed to help people with disabilities, the elderly, and others who have difficulty dressing themselves. It can make dressing easier and more comfortable, and can also help caregivers dress their loved ones. Some features it might include are Velcro or magnetic closures, elastic waistbands, and zippers that are strategically placed. This extra stretch and openings can make it easier to pull on pants, shirts, and footwear.
Sara Ann in her è Ispírante adaptive skirt
THE STORY BEHIND È ISPÍRANTE
One of my first experiences in making adaptive clothing was designing corsets for Mary Lou, who had polio as a child. The corsets were medically necessary, but I wanted them to also be beautiful. After perfecting the fit, I used l gorgeous fabrics and lace to complete the corsets. She was delighted with the results.
Around the same time, I designed skirts for my friend’s daughter, Sara Ann, who had Cerebral Palsy and wanted to be able to wear skirts like 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. It closes with a Velcro waistband and is added after she is seated. To transfer her out of her wheelchair, the skirt was easily removed and then transferred easily with her leggings or shorts on. Sara Ann loved the skirts in fun fabrics and her parents loved the ease of transferring her. When I did a photoshoot with Sara Ann, she had her mother buy each skirt and T-shirt design because she said that she looked very cute in them!
From there, è Ispírante was born! The line has grown, with skirt sizes for children and adults and matching berets, and more to come. In the works are pants, jackets, and tops for wheelchair users and people with other physical disabilities as well as non-disabled people, to have my adaptive line be more inclusive.
I recently embellished a jacket for Lachi, a legally-blind musician. The applied design is very tactile, using various textured fabrics, trims and beads, enabling it to be felt as well as seen.
One of my first experiences in making adaptive clothing was designing corsets for Mary Lou, who had polio as a child. The corsets were medically necessary, but I wanted them to also be beautiful. After perfecting the fit, I used l gorgeous fabrics and lace to complete the corsets. She was delighted with the results.
Around the same time, I designed skirts for my friend’s daughter, Sara Ann, who had Cerebral Palsy and wanted to be able to wear skirts like 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. It closes with a Velcro waistband and is added after she is seated. To transfer her out of her wheelchair, the skirt was easily removed and then transferred easily with her leggings or shorts on. Sara Ann loved the skirts in fun fabrics and her parents loved the ease of transferring her. When I did a photoshoot with Sara Ann, she had her mother buy each skirt and T-shirt design because she said that she looked very cute in them!
From there, è Ispírante was born! The line has grown, with skirt sizes for children and adults and matching berets, and more to come. In the works are pants, jackets, and tops for wheelchair users and people with other physical disabilities as well as non-disabled people, to have my adaptive line be more inclusive.
I recently embellished a jacket for Lachi, a legally-blind musician. The applied design is very tactile, using various textured fabrics, trims and beads, enabling it to be felt as well as seen.
adaptive alterations
I can also alter your existing garments to be easier to put on and take off, or whatever changes you may need to make them conform to your needs. Read more about this on my ALTERATIONS page.
T-SHIRTS BY SARA ANN
Sara Ann is an amazing painter! I have chosen some of her paintings and had them printed on T-shirts to sell along with the skirts. One of the designs is her "Sunflowers" pictured to the left. Sara Ann mother receives a percentage of the profits from the sale of the T-shirts. You can find the t-shirts in my SHOP .
Testimonial
"Just so you know, the skirts are Mom approved. She's happy with the design and.....they don't cause sores from sitting on the skirt bunched up under me. That's been a problem with me. I refused to stop wearing skirts! I absolutely love everything and so does my Mom! 😊
