Rivet Magazine April 2021

Tommy Adaptive is modified
from the company’s
mainstream line to give shoppers
for adaptive clothing the
chance to “enjoy the same
classic, cool styles that our
brand offers,” a company rep
said. The only adjustments in
the adaptive clothing are the
discrete modifications that are added to promote
comfortable, easy dressing.
Tommy Adaptive includes adjustable waists
and pull-on loops in all pants. The seated styles
have a higher rise in the back to provide coverage,
and a lower rise in the front designed for comfort.
Additionally, the back pockets in seated styles have
been moved to the sides of the pants for function
and a more comfortable fit, and discrete openings
have been created on each side of the pant to allow
for greater ease of access.
All adaptive jeans have a magnet and Velcro
closure in place of standard buttons and zippers for
the fly. There are also magnetic wide-leg openings
to create additional room for braces, prosthetics
and overall ease of pulling on pants.
Tommy Hilfiger may be the biggest brand
name thrusting itself into the adaptive denim
business, but smaller companies like IZ Adaptive
and Trinidad3 are showing how a little innovation
can go a long way.
Canadian designer Izzy Camilleri, founder of
the inclusive fashion label IZ Adaptive, recently
launched the “Game Changer” pant after spending
years studying how to create a seamless-back to
minimize possible causes of pressure sores, which
can potentially become a life-threatening issue in
the long term.
The Game Changer pants are specifically
designed for wheelchair users, who can get pres-
ALT =' ' T O M M Y
sure sores from a combination of moisture and
friction from an ill-fitting garment. The pant looks
like a classic jean in the front but the back has revolutionary
IZ Seamless Technology, which Camilleri
said is designed to be free of seams or pockets that
a person would normally be sitting on. These elements,
she added, can result in pressure sores.
“Everything that we do, the starting point is from a
seated perspective,” she said.
Both the indigo and black versions of the jeans
are made of pre-washed stretch denim comprised
of 98 percent cotton and 2 percent spandex. The
jeans follow the line of the seated body, and include
an extended front fly zipper with removable pull
tab. Different variations include a choice of button
or hook and bar closure to give shoppers a wider
range of options to open their jeans comfortably.
Trinidad Garcia III, the founder of Los Angeles-based
denim brand Trinidad3, built his company
after spending time in the Marine Corps.
Many veterans deal with lingering physical
issues after their deployment. Garcia saw an opportunity
to help his fellow veterans with the launch
of an adaptive line, noting that the new collection
specifically can help serve amputees with prosthetic
legs. Those who wear prosthetics must adjust the
straps on the limb so it won’t bite into their hips.
Since it’s hard to adjust straps when wearing pants,
and people may feel awkward adjusting pants in
public, they won’t do it at all.
ALT =''TOMMY ADAPTIVE"
Trinidad3 address this issue
by applying zippers on each
leg that extend from the pocket
down to the knee cap. This
allows the wearer to easily adjust
the prosthetic.
“We can work to hide the
prosthetic,” Garcia said. “From a
fabric perspective, I wanted to use
a weight that that still held some volume there so you
couldn’t tell what side the prosthetic was on.”
To construct the adaptive jeans, Garcia says the
creative process is the same as it is for any other
parts of the brand’s collection, such as seeking out
the best fabric and trims, and understanding what
individuals’ challenges are. “We’re meeting what
those needs are, whether they are cut off down at
the knee or up at the hip,” he said.
Although the comfort level is certainly an important
factor, the growth of adaptive denim is arguably
just as beneficial on a mental level, especially when it
comes to looking good and feeling good.
“I think fashion is freedom because it allows
you to be who you want to be and not be restricted
by clothes that you feel you have to wear because of
your limitation set, either physically, or by being in
a chair,” Camilleri said.
Garcia’s inspiration to empower and improve
the lives of veterans further developed when he
met Josue Barron, a veteran amputee who lost
his left leg in Afghanistan in 2010. Barron modeled
Trinidad3’s adaptive jeans at Project Las
Vegas last year.
“I saw his passion for fashion,” Garcia said about
Barron. “He wants to feel the magic that fashion
brings—the ‘look good, feel good’ element. The fact
that we can use something that we’re very passionate
about, which is denim and jeans, to do so, was
the most fulfilling thing we’ve done to date.”
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CONFIDENCE
RIVET NO.11 / APRIL 2021