It’s often tough luck for a wheelchair user who is looking for that right fashion and look.

For most wheelchair users buying clothes off the shelf doesn’t always work. Why sure, you can find really cool looking clothes but quite often that’s not the end all.

That sitting position and that wheelchair tear hell with fashion. Things bunch and bulge in the wrong places and clothing lines wind up pointing in more directions than points on a compass. For the ladies there is also the annoying problem of coming up short on the skirt or low on the top and long on eyeballs from passing jerks.

Meanwhile, gentlemen wheelchair users are having their own problems. Pants that look great on the mannequin or on the rack come up short on butt coverage when sitting in a wheelchair. Pulling them way up in the front to get more butt coverage in the back results in only a slight temporary increase but has you looking like your belt is doubling as some kind of chest strap. In the meantime, every time the pants get yanked up, the pant legs look more and more like swamp waders, and the crotch looks more and more, well, you know.

Adapted clothes for wheelchair users and other people with disabilities started off easy- Make sure that the wearer could get it on independently or make sure that a caregiver could get it on easily and easily access those body parts that needed caregiving. Then somewhere around 30 years ago it was decided that a greater element of comfort should be added to adaptive clothing. The formula then became independent donning, access, and comfort.

Lookout after that! Here came the 1990′s and wheelchair users decided that they wanted to be fashionable, sexy, sporty, alluring, formal and casual, all without having to stand. Imagine the nerve!

Since then many new clothiers have appeared on the scene who consider fashion an important element of adapted clothing production. Some produce specialty clothing like rainwear and ponchos while others manufacturer off the shelf and modified for sitting fashions. A few others have found their niche in custom fashions or custom altering. Here’s a “short list” of some of them.

Able 2 Wear
A large line of adaptive clothing for adults and children with many specially designed for wheelchair users.

Izzy Camilleri Adaptive Clothing
Clothing designed for seated clientele with disabilities. The designs were created with both function and fashion in mind and are designed to eliminate fabric bulk from front, sides and back.

Adaptations By Adrian
Clothes adapted for wheelchair users. Manufactures shirts, jackets, sweatshirts, pants, which fit waists 24″-50″. Also offers waterproof capes and boots.

Anitavee’s
Offers custom made adaptive pants and shorts designed for the wheelchair user.

LegaWear
Custom clothing fashions for wheelchair users from casual to formal wear.

Specially for You
Custom made clothing for adults and kids who are wheelchair users.

Epiphany Designs
Adaptive clothing for people with disabilities. They design for children and adults who use scooters or wheelchairs. Their specialty is outerwear.

Now here’s the “long list” of companies offering clothing fashions for wheelchair users.

Here’s an even longer list of companies offering adaptive clothing for people with disabilities.

Hey, look cool, feel cool, and be cool.

Ziggi