By Anna Ludmirsky,
Able-bodied people do not often think about the construction of clothing taking a toll on their daily lives. The fashion industry also often does not consider the many disabilities that need catering to that do not have many options when buying clothes, be it from people with sensory issues, people with Alzheimer’s, and wheelchair-bound people. Although there are countless barriers when it comes to clothing for people who are wheelchair-bound; such as the difficulty of taking garments on and off, garments getting stuck in the wheels of the chair, having to buy larger pant sizes for comfortability, seams causing chafing, and many more. Yet, the choices for clothing are scarce. Another factor lacking in clothing alongside comfortability and functionality for people in wheelchairs is trendiness as many brands do not offer accessible clothing options.
Fig. 1, “Izzy Camilleri.” Izzy Camilleri’s Clothing for People in Wheelchairs Honoured, Toronto Star, 2 July 2015, https://www.thestar.com/life/2015/07/02/izzy-camilleris-clothing-for-people-in-wheelchairs-honoured.html. Accessed 28 Sept. 2021.
Fig. 2, “Game Changer Seamless Back Jeans for Men.” IZ Adaptive, https://izadaptive.com/products/game-changer-seamless-back-jeans-for-men. Accessed 28 Sept. 2021.
Before creating IZ Adaptive, Izzy Camilleri worked with many A-listers on films, music videos, and more. Although she created garments for a variety of bodies and builds, she never really had to consider what it would be like to design for a person in a wheelchair.
It all started in 2004 when Izzy Camilleri designed a custom cape for Barbara Turnbull, Izzy’s first client who is a wheelchair user. After conversing with her about the different adversities she faces when it came to clothing, Izzy was inspired to create more for this community of people with mobility issues. The fact that people had to get custom clothing made for their needs instead of having stylish readily available garments needed to be changed immediately.
It became a passion for Izzy Camilleri to design adaptive clothing for wheelchair-bound people as there are little to no options. She wanted to dig deeper to figure out the common issues spread throughout wheelchair users when it came to finding proper, tasteful clothing, rather than having it custom made or choosing whatever drab, non-chic items are available. At first, Izzy never intended to create something so revolutionary in the apparel industry, it just ended up turning out that way because of the neglected area in the fashion world she decided to hone her skills in. This passion to design accessible clothing led to her creating the brand IZ Adaptive in 2009 and is still designing and expanding ways to better fit garments for her customers.
Izzy had important physical factors to consifer when designing IZ Adaptive. Pressure sores are a common, very painful, and sometimes even lethal issue pertaining to the bed-confined and wheelchair users. They come from constant friction, moisture, or skin traction, causing areas that are bonier than others to become irritated. Constant pressure causes the skin to die, moisture makes the skin weaker and more susceptible to damage, and traction causes the skin to stretch out and causes issues with blood flow. These gateways to pressure sores can lead to irreversible damage to tissues and the dermis. They are excruciating and take a long time to properly heal, especially when you constantly have to combat this issue on a daily basis. This problem can be rooted in clothing being tailored to fit non-wheelchair users since they aren’t sitting a majority of the time, consisting of pockets on the buttocks, tighter waists, and seams. Alongside the issues regarding style, pressure sores are one of the reasons why Izzy created the Game-Changer pants.
Fig. 2, “Game Changer Seamless Back Jeans for Men.” IZ Adaptive, https://izadaptive.com/products/game-changer-seamless-back-jeans-for-men. Accessed 28 Sept. 2021.
She factored these issues into her designs. The front of the Game-Changer pant may seem like they are cut the same as pants for non-wheelchair users, but the way Izzy constructed them was to create a flat-surface on the stomach area to prevent pressure in that area, eliminating the discomfort caused by pressure. The front of the pant is styled similarly to pants cut for a standing person, but the back is made specifically for a person who is sitting a majority of the time. The back of the pant is made up of an elastic waistband paired with a surplus of material to allow the wearer to sit comfortably for an extended period of time; this design detail reduces the chance of pants being pulled down as pants from most retail stores aren’t made to prevent this from occurring. The types of fabrics used in the garments IZ Adaptive offers on their e-store are all made up of stretchy, breathable materials to contest the limited functionality and moisture buildup. No matter your circumstance, Izzy had thought of different options for your needs. Different closures for waistbands, plus sizes, front pockets for those who prefer to have them, and more are offered in her wide collection of garments on IZ Adaptive. In fact, the pants are just a small portion of what Izzy Camilleri had designed for people with disabilities, the whole line ranges from basics, denim, coats, three-piece suits, and dresses, all made with the intent to be available for wheelchair users. Not only does the collection on the IZ Adaptive website feature a set of diverse models, but each of the models also uses a different type of wheelchair, some even use crutches for the mobility challenges of standing individuals.
The world of fashion often neglects different areas that stray off the path of able-bodied and standard sizing, when in reality all people deserve to feel fashionable. In the videos advertising the Game-Changer pant, models for IZ Adaptive have spoken about their stories about feeling under-represented in the fashion industry, and how IZ Adaptive brought the feelings of confidence, independence, and sexiness into their lives. By researching the way a seated body should have clothes fit for them, and hearing out the issues people with disabilities face directly from the source, Izzy was able to create exactly what they needed functionally, fit, and style-wise (all of these design details are added at the bottom of the page of each garment on the IZ Adaptive website). In addition to filling the gap the fashion world had towards people with disabilities, IZ Adaptive makes sure to donate 3% of each Game-Changer pant to the Rick Hansen Foundation. Overall, Izzy Camilleri positively impacted the way wheelchair users feel about themselves in clothing both physically and mentally by opening a door of possibilities for them to express and love oneself through fashion. Inclusivity should not be as difficult to bring forward in the world of fashion; inclusivity through apparel should be the standard.
Works Cited
“About Izzy Camilleri.” IZ Adaptive, https://izadaptive.com/pages/about-izzy-camilleri.
Blissett, Rebecca. “Community Spotlight on Iz Adaptive: Rick Hansen Foundation.” RSS, 18 Aug. 2021, https://www.rickhansen.com/news-stories/blog/community-spotlight-iz-adaptive.
“Dressing in a Wheelchair: Clothing That Is Convenient, Accessible and Stylish.” IZ Adaptive, https://izadaptive.com/blogs/posts/dressing-in-a-wheelchair-clothing-that-is-convenient-accessible-and-stylish.
“Game Changer Seamless Back Jeans for Men.” IZ Adaptive, https://izadaptive.com/products/game-changer-seamless-back-jeans-for-men. Accessed 28 Sept. 2021.
Grada, Ayman, and Tania J. Phillips . “Pressure Sores – Skin Disorders.” Merck Manuals Consumer Version, Merck Manuals, Oct. 2019, https://www.merckmanuals.com/en-ca/home/skin-disorders/pressure-sores/pressure-sores.
“Izzy Camilleri.” Izzy Camilleri’s Clothing for People in Wheelchairs Honoured, Toronto Star, 2 July 2015, https://www.thestar.com/life/2015/07/02/izzy-camilleris-clothing-for-people-in-wheelchairs-honoured.html. Accessed 28 Sept. 2021.
“Izzy Camilleri.” Royal Ontario Museum, https://www.rom.on.ca/en/exhibitions-galleries/exhibitions/past/fashion-follows-form/izzy-camilleri.
“Lack of Appropriate Clothing Hinders People with Disabilities.” Braceworks Custom Orthotics, https://braceworks.ca/2016/12/07/health-tech/lack-of-appropriate-clothing-hinders-people-with-disabilities/.
Izzy Camilleri from the Seneca Fashion Resource Centre
The Seneca Fashion Resource Centre has this Izzy Camilleri leather skirt suit from the 1990s.
https://digitalrepository.senecacollege.ca/s/digitalfashionresourcecentre/item/4146
SFRC Accession Number1-990-12-09865
Title: Skirt Suit
Style Period1990s
Description: Jacket double-breasted, two buttons at hem, topstitching along wide lapel. Knee length pencil skirt with topstitching to create the illusion of diagonal stripes.
Material: Leather
Donor: Donna DeMarco