After a first collection of adaptive laundry at the beginning of last year, which was well received, the Irish textile discounter Primark from tomorrow, January 28, 2025, will be the first collection of adaptive clothing, initially in 31 British branches of the company.
The 49-part collection for women and men, which consists of pieces from trench coats to T-shirts and sweaters and jeans, was designed together with the award-winning designer Victoria Jenkins, who works for the needs of people with disabilities.
The adaptive properties of the clothing of the collection are intended to make it easier to tighten, with magnetic zippers and snaps up to waist loops that make it easier to pull up pants, as well as hidden openings for hose, stoma or catheter access.
Practical properties plus style
There are also a number of options for people who live on seats, such as wheelchair users: inside, such as a shortened version of the trench coat, the sweater or the Oxford shirt. “The collection was developed in a number of focus groups and practical rehearsals with members of the disabled community in order to take a wide variety of needs into account,” said Primark in a message.
“It is an incredibly proud moment to bring this collection onto the market and to see how adaptive fashion appears for the first time to this extent in the shops,” comments Jenkins. “Disabled people are faced with many barriers in their lives, and clothing should not be of them. We don’t want to live in a uniform from jogging pants and T-shirts, but we often have no choice. ”
“I hope that this market launch is a step to change this picture and bring more selection to the shopping streets. We have designed clothing that are not only functional, but also fashionable and affordable, because everyone deserves to feel confident and stylish in their clothes. I hope that this inspires the industry to continue towards greater accessibility and inclusiveness for everyone, ”Jenkins adds.
Although almost a quarter (24 percent) of the people in Great Britain lives with a disability, a study commissioned by Primark, together with the Research Institute for Disabled Consumers (RIDC), shows that three quarters (75 percent) find it difficult for them, Get barrier -free clothes. A good two thirds (70 percent) stated that they had to spend more money on clothing that corresponds to their needs, while a large part (80 percent) said to feel excluded from the purchase of fashionable clothing. This either leads to a general feeling of discomfort (75 percent) in a certain situation (wedding, vacation) or to cancel plans due to the lack of the right clothing (42 percent).
Prices between 14 and 48 euros
The new collection of adaptive clothing will be available from January 28, 2025 and consists, among other things, a women’s trench coat with a magnetic lock, sleeves with zipper, a sewn -on belt and an adjustable hem with pressure buttons (40 British pounds, around £ 48).
There is also a white popeline shirt for women with openings, for example for hoses (18 pounds, around 21 euros), a green knitting sweater with a V-neck with a double zipper on the sleeves and thumb holes (24 pounds, around 28 euros), one Ribbed lounge top with matching trousers with a wide leg with push buttons and loops on the federation (12 and 14 pounds, around 14 and 17 euros) as well as a training suit with a magnetic zipper, bags with hose access and larger bags for medical devices (£ 36, 43 euros ).
For men there is an oxford shirt with an opening on the side seam, snap fasteners on the sleeves and hose access to the front pocket (16 pounds, around 19 euros), a jeans with a straight leg, the version of which is a longer hem at the back, a ankle-length Leg and a side zipper (14 pounds, around 17 euros) as well as a black lined vest with a magnetic zipper, large bags for medical devices and hose access (£ 12, around 14 euros).