Adaptive Lingerie Research Proposal by Isabelle Simpson

ADAPTIVE LINGERIE How can lingerie encourage independence and empower young women with disabilities? ISABELLE SIMPSON

ISABELLE SIMPSON

CONTENTS RESEARCH PROPOSAL

THE PROPOSAL LITERATURE REVIEW

4 5

RESEARCH PORTFOLIO

INTRODUCTION

EXPLORATION OF THE TOPIC

THE UK UNDERWEAR MARKET HISTORY AND CURRENT ISSUES IMPACT ON THE FASHION INDUSTRY IMPACT OF DISABILITIES ON INDIVIDUALS AND EVERYDAY LIFE

9 11 12 13

MARKET ANALYSIS

KEY COMPETITORS CASE STUDY 1 - HARRIET ECCLESTON CASE STUDY 2 - ASOS GOING FOR GOLD CASE STUDY 3 - WINGS INTIMATES CASE STUDY 4 - MASTECTOMY UNDERWEAR PRIMARY RESEARCH INTERVIEW - JESSIE GALLAY

16 17 18 19 20 21

TARGET AUDIENCE

GENERATION Z TARGET CONSUMERS

23 24

FUTURE PROOFING

FUTURE CHALLENGES EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES FUTURE CONES

26 27 28

FMP PROJECT PLAN

REFERENCES

(BIGWNEWS 2018)

(DAN K PHOTOGRAPHY 2021)

RESEARCH PROPOSAL

THE PROPOSAL RESEARCH QUESTION

How can lingerie encourage independence and empower young women with disabilities? INTRODUCTION

This project will explore the issues surrounding disabilities, and how fashion has neglected the disabled consumer; specifically the UK lingerie market. Removing the stigma around disability and sex is an important part of this so that young women can regain their self confidence and feel comfortable within their own body. Allowing independence through accessible and adaptable lingerie would create an inclusive and empowering industry that could be celebrated by all. Education is the first step to inclusivity within fashion, and ensuring that all brands understand how to design accessible lingerie to make it practical yet sexy is crucial.

BACKGROUND

Within the UK fashion industry, no brand currently caters for both able-bodied women as well as disabled women. This shows how consumers with disabilities have been rejected by fashion, and professionals choose to ignore the fact that disabled individuals want to look and feel sexy. Current options for accessible lingerie include medical-looking bras and underwear, all made from nude or black jersey fabric. With 14.1 million disabled people living in the UK and a combined spending power of £274 billion, the fashion industry is missing out a huge part of the market, and ultimately turning away one in four customers. Most of the current accessible lingerie players are US based companies, so customers cannot even go into a store and try the products on to ensure that they fit or work well for them. Considering all of these issues, something needs to be done within the industry, and quickly. Ignoring disabled consumers cannot continue, and fashion needs to be held accountable for this. Questioning brands around their plans for accessible options and boycotting brands who are not interested in this subject will be an important step within the inclusivity and education process.

METHODOLOGY

EXPECTED OUTCOMES

Research will be mainly conducted using expert interviews with Occupational Therapists, Disabled professionals such as Paralympians and consumers with disabilities. Using these expert interviews, more in depth questions can be asked and the answers and information given will be much more valuable than a quick answer within a survey.

Exploring accessible lingerie within a mainstream brand will be the main focus of this Final Major Project. Inclusivity and empowerment are two of the most important themes to carry throughout the report, ensuring that the collection looks as similar to mainstream lingerie as well as providing an accessible option for disabled young women.

Using a survey for research around accessible lingerie causes issues with ethics, and how questions could be asked around sensitive topics without causing offence or upsetting respondents. For these reasons, a survey will not be used to ask questions around disability or to disabled consumers at all, instead a survey will be done to look into the purchasing habits of Gen Z, and the main brands that they purchase lingerie from. This information will give an idea of brands that are forward thinking enough to capture the younger consumer, and then further research can be done to determine if they are a suitable brand for a range extension.

Changing the stigma around disabled women and sex is another important part of this, and normalising accessible lingerie will be one of the first steps towards this. Creating a range that is sold within high street stores will help to introduce this idea to the public, and educate able bodied consumers about the main issues with adaptive fashion.

Further primary research was conducted at the Occupational Therapy Show 2021, where different charities and businesses showcased their products and ideas around how to make living with disabilities easier. This is the main aim of an accessible lingerie collection so speaking to professionals who do this daily was interesting and very useful. Another research method that may be used is a focus group of Gen Z consumers with disabilities, to understand the main struggles that they face due to their underwear on a day to day basis, and what would improve this. A focus group would give a large amount of primary research that is completely focussed around the consumer group and issue being faced. This would be the most effective way to ensure that the product created will meet the needs of the consumer while still looking sexy. If a prototype could be made this would also be interesting to show to a focus group to get opinions on fabrics and comfort as this is another important factor to consider.

Holding fashion accountable for being so behind all other industries is another important section of this project, and interviewing designers and buyers to understand why this has not yet happened could be an interesting addition. In addition to the actual lingerie range being accessible, the whole process of purchasing the product must be too. This means that everything from the channels that this is marketed within, the website or store, the price point and delivery. Marketing will be created that is transferable across magazines, social media and email so that it can reach both Gen Z consumers as well as parents and carers of disabled young women. Doing this creates the largest possible reach as well as awareness within the disabled community. Creating this brand extension will aim to empower young women with disabilities and encourage them to be more independent while also boosting their self-confidence.

Turn to page 30 for FMP time plan.

LITERATURE REVIEW

CHALLENGES OF LIVING WITH A DISABILITY

Under the heading ‘disability’ there are thousands of different conditions that can cause a person to have issues and need to use a mobility aid. Accessible underwear will be most useful for individuals with disabilities that affect their fine motor skills and dexterity. Disabilities that are normally related to this include Parkinson’s, MS, Arthritis and Cerebral Palsy. The range is not limited to these disabilities and will also be useful any consumers who struggle to dress themselves or cannot bend properly. People who are not educated around this topic will not realise the size of the market or the daily challenges that disabled individuals face, without being excluded from accessing products that would make their lives easier. “Over one billion people, or 15 percent of the world’s population, experience some form of disability, according to the world bank group. In the UK, almost 20 percent of working age adults are disabled, according to British disability equality charity scope.” (O’Connor, T 2019). Realising the size of the market and the main challenges that disabled consumers face daily will ensure that brands can accurately address their needs. For women in a wheelchair, their needs will differ to women with a neurological condition such as Parkinson’s, and wheelchair users clothing needs to be designed slightly differently to clothing for women who can stand alone. For consumers without the use of their hands, accessible lingerie will give them a sense of independence, and eliminate the need for a carer to dress them completely. Consumers with learning disabilities such as Autism could also benefit from this range, using the products to make their routine quicker and easier, meaning they may not require help from a carer. The spectrum of disabilities is so broad and throughout the development of this range lots of time will be spent thinking about how solutions can assist the most consumers without having to modify each and every garment to make it unique.

LACK OF OPTIONS AND SUITABILITY Brands that currently sell accessible underwear are mainly based in the US, meaning that customers from the UK cannot try on items before they buy, so they will not know how suitable the product is until it has arrived. At this point, they will have spent a significant amount of money and if the product does not work effectively it is a waste for the consumer. With the disability population in the UK passing 14.1 million people, this should not be the case, and stores should be carrying accessible clothing and underwear. Brands that sell accessible lingerie tend to make the garments black or nude, in unflattering styles. Women with disabilities still want to look and feel sexy, so why does the UK accessible underwear market not cater to this? Of the brands that currently offer these products, none of them are a mainstream underwear brand with a range of accessible lingerie, meaning that disabled consumers have to log onto a specific website to purchase their underwear. If they did not already feel different to an able-bodied consumer this will just remind them of the struggles that they face, as they cannot log on to any lingerie website and order the styles and colours that they want to. “I think it’s very important for the spectrum of fashion designers (low- to high-end designers) to recognize their consumers with disabilities, and I don’t think that any designer really does a good job at that. We are essentially never pitched to, and virtually ignored when it comes to fashion,” Sheypuk told The Guardian. Currently, most of the accessible options are marketed towards the older generations, as most brands forget that anyone at any age can become disabled. While there are a few brands that do offer an option for the younger customer, they are still not sexy or accessible enough. Creating nude underwear with bra clasps on both sides offers an option but this is by no means a good solution for young women who want to feel ‘normal’ and forget about their disability. This covers a small portion of the market, for women who have good dexterity and are not bothered about the look of their underwear; however to properly improve the options available within the UK accessible market the products must encourage independence as well as empower women to feel comfortable in their own bodies despite their disabilities.

EXPLORING UK LINGERIE BRANDS

Marks and Spencer are the current UK lingerie market leader, with Next following them closely behind. As the current leader, M&S would be the obvious choice when wanting to create a brand extension, and as they already have a mastectomy range they will have a well educated team of designers around different issues with underwear. This may be the easiest option, however not necessarily the correct one. Research will be done into the Gen Z consumer and their main shopping habits, to see where they tend to buy most of their lingerie and underwear from. This information will give a good idea of the average styles and prices that Gen Z are looking for when they purchase lingerie, and which brands should be looked into for an accessible lingerie brand extension. Brands such as Lounge Underwear, Agent Provocateur, Calvin Klein and Savage X Fenty are popular with Gen Z, as they all sell sexy styles at affordable prices. Interestingly two of these brands are only sold online, however they are still some of the most popular. When thinking about accessible lingerie being able to try garments before buying is important to consider within the brand and as Lounge and Fenty do not yet have physical stores this would make it more difficult. On the Lounge Underwear website they have a sizing feature to help combat the sizing issues, so consumers can enter their measurements and what sizes they normally wear, then the website will recommend their ideal size and style of bra. This could be taken forward with accessible lingerie if in store purchasing is not a suitable option, so that disabled consumers will feel more comfortable purchasing products without trying them on first.

RESEARCH PORTFOLIO

INTRODUCTION UNDERWEAR CAN’T TRULY BE INCLUSIVE UNTIL MANUFACTURERS RECOGNIZE THAT ADAPTIVE OPTIONS AREN’T JUST A MATTER OF ECONOMICS; THEY’RE AN ETHICAL CHOICE. (Brooks, L 2021)

This research project will explore how fashion can help to normalise disabilities within society. Independence is one of the most important elements to give young people with disabilities a more 'normal' life. This important issue gets ignored by many who are not educated on the issue and do not realise the scale of the problem. Confidence and independence are significant issues within the disabled community and empowering women to feel comfortable within themselves through fashion is something that should have already been done, and it is time to fix that problem. Disability underwear is one of the most under-represented categories within the lingerie market, which is surprising considering;

AROUND 6% OF CHILDREN ARE DISABLED, COMPARED TO 16% OF WORKING AGE ADULTS AND 45% OF ADULTS OVER STATE PENSION AGE” (GOV.UK 2021). With the underwear market forecasted to grow significantly by 2025, it is the perfect time to start incorporating accessible lingerie into every brand’s core range. More investment within the industry will mean that better research can be done into more accessible and functional underwear while creating lingerie that is sexy yet practical.

“You can find more fashion lines for pets than you can for people with disabilities.”

- STEPHANIE THOMAS

“We need to change the narrative around sex and disability. We (HYPEBAE 2020)educating ableist doctors, but we can also disrupt can do that by the fashion industry to create sexy, beautiful, and empowering adaptive clothing.” - EMMA BUTLER, CEO OF INTIMATELY

EXPLORATION OF THE TOPIC “You can find more fashion lines for pets than you can for people with disabilities” (Thomas, S 2018)

THE UK UNDERWEAR MARKET According to Statista, the UK underwear market was worth 3.47 billion pounds in 2020 and is forecast to grow to over 4.43 billion pounds by 2025. Marks and Spencer are the underwear market leader, with one in three UK women owning a bra from the brand. Head of design for lingerie; Soozie Jenkinson reports “The trend for comfort is one that won’t go away. We will continue to see the softer, natural silhouette drive lingerie development with continued focus on non-padded and nonwired bras.” On average, every household spends £1.20 per week on women’s underwear, with the age group of 50 to 64 year olds spending on average £1.50. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, push up bras and under-wire have been rejected by many consumers who are now opting for comfort. Working from home has ultimately caused a shift within lingerie and many consumers now want ‘loungewear’ style lingerie for everyday wear. Figure 1 shows the assortment of women’s underwear and bras at online retailers across the UK. This assortment shows that bralettes and sports bras have overtaken push up bras, and breifs have overtaken thongs in being the most popular categories. Consumers are choosing comfort over anything else. Accessible lingerie is not mentioned on either of the charts in figure 1, showing the gap in the market; however this should not be the case.

Pricing within the lingerie market is another issue that brands are trying to combat, premium brands can sell a bra for anything from £25 to £100, whereas value brands will sell a bra for £5. The difference in quality is what sets these apart and educating the consumer on the difference between these brands and how the price is justified plays a large part in the sale of lingerie. Figure 2 shows the current prices of lingerie in stock over the past three months versus the best sellers. $10-$30 (£7-£22) were the most popular price categories for lingerie in stock, whereas $0-$30 (£0-£22) were the categories that sold best. This is a lower price category than I would’ve expected for the lingerie industry as brands like M&S and Lounge Underwear are popular and sell most of their bras for above £22; however this change in price architecture could be down to the changing trends due to COVID-19. Consumers opting to purchase bralettes and loungewear will mean that they are spending less on lingerie, and the styles that they are buying will generally be sold at a lower price point.

FIGURE 2 (EDITED 2021)

KEY FINDINGS FIGURE 1 (EDITED 2021)

• Marks and Spencer is the market leader within the lingerie sector. With the underwear market being a growing sector within fashion, this is the most important category to expand accessible fashion into. The opportunities within accessible underwear are the largest in the disability fashion sector and require the most improvement. Many lingerie brands do not even recognise the need to cater to women with disabilities as the public has not been educated on the issue as much as health professionals. Buyers and Product Developers for lingerie brands should be looking into new and innovative solutions to these problems and driving to be more inclusive and innovative. Once this has been implemented by one or two lingerie brands others will begin to follow, and this will continue to push the lingerie market into being one of the most inclusive areas of the fashion industry.

• Comfort has become more important to most women than anything else, yet they still want to feel sexy. • Within lingerie, the most popular price point for bras is £7-£14. • COVID-19 has caused a shift within the market and caused changes within all areas of lingerie, including trends, price and awareness.

THE UK UNDERWEAR MARKET Within the UK underwear market, M&S are the market leader. According to Statista “This statistic shows a ranking of the most popular women’s lingerie and underwear brands in Great Britain in 2020. In 2020, an estimated 7.9 million people bought lingerie or underwear from M&S in the last 12 months.” Next are an emerging brand within the underwear market and are looking to push M&S off the top spot to become the market leader themselves. Sutherland explains in her report on the battle for lingerie market leader “Marks & Spencer is the lingerie leader, but it is closing stores and Next hopes to take some of that share. Lingerie is a one of fashion’s most resilient sectors, so it is a sensible move.” To gain control of the UK market, Next have signed deals with Ted Baker and Victoria’s Secret. “Next may be adding to its lingerie offer with Ted Baker and Victoria’s Secret, but M&S is not resting on its laurels. The retailer is looking to retain its lingerie crown by evolving its offer to meet customers’ new needs – it launched a digital bra-fit booking tool earlier this year, which the retailer said will give it access to better data and the ability to suggest personalised products to customers. Customers who are unable or unwilling to go in store can also use M&S’s online bra size calculator.” (Sutherland, E 2020)

“One in three British women buy their bras at M&S and it holds a 37.5% share of the market” (Sutherland, E 2020) According to Vogue’s lingerie report, they have named some of the top UK lingerie brands as Savage X Fenty, Agent Provocateur, Lounge Underwear and Calvin Klein. Half of these brands sell through brick and mortar stores as well as e-commerce websites, where as the other half sell solely through e-commerce websites and wholesale.

(CALVIN KLEIN 2021)

(SAVAGE X FENTY 2021)

Looking at the Statista UK underwear report 2020, of 141 consumers 55.31% said that they would prefer to buy underwear in store, whereas 21.9% said they would prefer to buy through a laptop on an e-commerce website. Purchasing in store means consumers can try on products and ensure that the fit is correct. This will be even more important when thinking about accessible lingerie as consumers will need to try different closures and fastenings to see what works best for them. (STATISTA 2020)

Within all of the reports around the UK underwear market, adaptive or accessible underwear is not mentioned in a single one. Each talks about the different categories within lingerie such as bras, pants, intimate sets, bodysuits and more however there is no consideration to the adaptive sector of the market. “The global market for clothing geared towards physically disabled people with medical issues is expected to grow from $278.9 billion in 2017 to $400 billion by 2026” According to Coherent Market Insights. Vogue business has reported that creating an adaptive line of products will cost approximately the same as an extended size range, but designers must work with medical professionals to ensure they are meeting the needs of the target consumer. “There is demand for styles that are fashion-forward as well as functional, but higher-end labels still lack appropriate points-of-sale.” (Gaffney, A 2019) There are common misconceptions that individuals with disabilities do not care about what they look like, and are generally overlooked by brands, often thinking that someone else will fix the problem. Fashion needs to be held accountable for this and start to be fully inclusive across the industry.

(LOUNGE UNDERWEAR 2021)

(AGENT PROVOCATEUR 2021)

KEY FINDINGS • Marks and Spencer is the current UK lingerie market leader, but Next are working to try and overtake them by working with Ted Baker and Victoria’s Secret to gain a larger market share. • Adaptable and accessible lingerie is not talked about by any mainstream brands, and is ignored by all underwear reports on sites such as Statista, Mintel and WGSN. • The demand for functional yet fashion-forward products is growing as the accessible clothing and underwear market grows over the next 5 years. • An accessible clothing line would cost approximately the same as an extended sizing range of clothing.

HISTORY AND CURRENT ISSUES Adaptive clothing began to become mainstream in the 1980’s when carers and family members realised that easy-to-wear clothing would encourage independence. Many of these garments were designed to look like a hospital gown or similar and often still required help to put the garment on. Between the 1980’s and today, designers have worked to create functional and fashionable items for consumers with disabilities, however no-one really does a good job at this. Advocates for the cause Danielle Sheypuk and Selma Blair feel strongly that the market does not offer appropriate options, and that the disabled community are widely ignored by most designers.

Blair states, “I would like to partner with someone like Christian Siriano on a

line for everyone—not just people who necessarily need adaptive clothing, but for those who want comfort, too. It can still be chic. You shouldn’t have to sacrifice style.”

“I think it’s very important for the spectrum of fashion designers (low- to high-end designers) to recognize their consumers with disabilities, and I don’t think that any designer really does a good job at that. We are essentially never pitched to, and virtually ignored when it comes to fashion,” Sheypuk told The Guardian.

Tommy Hilfiger and Nike have each released a line of adaptive clothing for adults and children with disabilities. Tommy Adaptive includes fashionable and adaptive sportswear including items such as shirts with easy-to-open buttons and super stretchy jeans to fit over prosthetic legs. Nike came out with FlyEase, which are a range of trainers with a zip or elastic making them hands-free to put on. These were created in response to a letter from a teenager with cerebral palsy who was struggling with normal trainers. However the FlyEase campaign had a lot of issues including the price and exclusivity of the trainers, with a lot of customers who tried to get the shoes for accessibility reasons losing out to consumers who wanted the shoes for style.

“The hands-free shoe was designed to make life easier for people with disabilities — a demographic that is too often under-represented in the sneaker industry. To make matters worse, the sneaker innovation was released with an affordable $120 price tag. Yet, if you’re in the market to buy a pair of Nike GO Flyeases now, get ready to pay upwards of $600.” (OSEI, S 2021)

(NIKE NEWS 2021)

Designer Mindy Scheier launched ‘Runway of Dreams’, a non-profit organisation to promote and support inclusive clothing design. Her son has multiple dystrophy and struggles to wear anything but joggers, and she wanted him to be able to have complete choice over what he wears, not be told by what he can fit over his leg brace. “ WE WORK TOWARD A FUTURE OF INCLUSION, ACCEPTANCE AND OPPORTUNITY IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.” (Runway of Dreams 2021)

(THE CUT 2017)

The Cerebral Palsy foundation has been partnering with fashion students since 2016 to support them in creating adaptive clothing and transform the experience of fashion for women with disabilities. The students supported by the foundation get to showcase their work at the design for disability gala every year.

KEY FINDINGS • No designers are currently doing a good job at creating accessible clothing for women with disabilities. • Creating products that do not have a high demand within the able-bodied community is important so that the products can be accessed by the correct consumers. • There is budget within the fashion industry for this type of innovation.

(MASHABLE 2018)

• Within the fashion industry there are many advocates for accessible clothing as well as charities and organisations who want to help facilitate this. (HIGHSNOBIETY 2021)

IMPACT ON THE FASHION INDUSTRY “I AM NOT ALONE IN MY LOVE FOR FASHION. DISABLED PEOPLE, INCLUDING THE FASHION PLATES AMONG US, HAVE ALWAYS HAD TO MAKE WARDROBE HACKS TO NAVIGATE FEATURES LIKE ZIPPERS, BUTTONS, SHOES AND IRRITABLE FABRIC TAGS. STYLISH CLOTHING FOR DISABLED PEOPLE GOES BY MANY NAMES: ACCESSIBLE FASHION, FUNCTIONAL FASHION, UNIVERSAL AND INCLUSIVE FASHION. I USE ACCESSIBLE AND INCLUSIVE FASHION INTERCHANGEABLY AND SOMETIMES TOGETHER BECAUSE THEY BEST FIT WHAT I BELIEVE FASHION SHOULD BE AFTER, NOT JUST FUNCTION BUT STYLE, TOO.” (Brown, K 2020)

Consumers with disabilities have been widely ignored by the fashion industry for years, and it is now time for a change. If mainstream fashion brands created a range of accessible clothing, this would bring awareness to the brand as well as creating essential clothing for individuals who need inclusive options. Allowing consumers with disabilities the option to express themselves is a huge part of accessible clothing, and the key to this is creating options. The more accessible options offered means the less obstacles for these consumers. Fashion needs to be held accountable for being one of the slowest industries to integrate people with disabilities. Sports and television are two of the more progressive industries with the Paralympics being a worldwide event, and television shows such as Strictly Come Dancing have had cast members with disabilities.

“OVER ONE BILLION PEOPLE, OR 15 PERCENT OF THE WORLD’S POPULATION, EXPERIENCE SOME FORM OF DISABILITY, ACCORDING TO THE WORLD BANK GROUP. IN THE UK, ALMOST 20 PERCENT OF WORKING AGE ADULTS ARE DISABLED, ACCORDING TO BRITISH DISABILITY EQUALITY CHARITY SCOPE. YET DISABLED PEOPLE ARE STILL VERY MUCH EXCLUDED FROM THE MAINSTREAM FASHION CONVERSATION, DESPITE COMMANDING A GLOBAL SPENDING POWER OF OVER $1.2 TRILLION, ACCORDING TO A REPORT BY THE RETURN ON DISABILITY GROUP. THIS FIGURE HITS $6.9 TRILLION WHEN FAMILIES, PARENTS AND CARERS OF DISABLED PEOPLE ARE ALSO TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT.” (O’CONNOR, T 2019) Educating designers and buyers is the first key step to incorporating accessible fashion into the mainstream fashion industry. Until fashion brands understand the impacts and issues that consumers with disabilities face daily due to fashion they will not be able to begin to make effective and positive changes within the industry. Gaining input from consumers within the disabled community will be one of the most important parts of the design process to ensure that the garments designed are what consumers with disabilities want to see available on the market and not just what able-bodied designers think is best. The other challenge within fashion is educating universities and colleges on the importance of disabilities within fashion and incorporating this into education. Including this topic within a degree will inspire the next generation of fashion designers and buyers to think about how this issue can be seamlessly integrated into mainstream fashion.

(NY Times 2020)

Boosting the investment in the fashion industry to be able to create these products would be a worthwhile use of funding. Once these products have been created the investment would be quickly returned by disabled customers and their families. Accessible, practical and fashionable clothing and underwear is in such high demand throughout the disabled community and it is surprising that no mainstream retailers have already capitalised on this opportunity. Creating an underwear / lingerie range would be the first step to this, and then expanding into clothing as this is currently the most populated market within disability clothing. One of the most important things to remember when retailers are designing this range is that the products are marketed towards younger adults instead of the older generation like most of the currently available products are.

KEY FINDINGS

• The spending power of the disabled community and their families is worth £274 billion in the UK. • Disabled consumers feel ignored by the fashion industry. • Educating designers, retailers and students in fashion schools is one of the first steps that needs to be taken in the direction of making accessible clothing and underwear mainstream. • Including people with disabilities when designing and creating the range is important to ensure that all of their needs are met.

(Purple Tuesday 2020)

ISSUES FACED WITH DISABILITIES Under the heading of ‘Disability’ there are thousands of conditions that can cause issues for an individual, some being physical disabilities, learning disabilities or lifelong conditions that can cause mobility issues to name a few. All of the information and statistics in the tables below have been taken from the NHS website. Creating this range will offer “a future of inclusion, acceptance and opportunity in the fashion industry for people with disabilities.” (Scheier, M 2021) Shown in the table below are some of the disabilities that could be helped by accessible lingerie and the everyday challenges that they face due to their condition:

Paralysis

• The inability to move part of your body or not be able to move at all. • May also experience stiffness, muscle spasms or numb, painful, tingly and floppy limbs. • Main causes of paralysis are a stroke, a severe head or spinal cord injury or a tumour.

• Can affect anyone at any time in their life, and is mainly caused by an injury or incident.

Parkinson’s Disease

• Deterioration or fine motor skills. • Muscle stiffness and tension within their muscles making it difficult to move around. • Tremors within their hands and arms.

• Around 1 in 500 are affected, most of these are over 50 however around 1 in 20 of these are under 40.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

• Numbness or tingling in different parts of the body. • Muscle spasms, stiffness within limbs and weakness. • Mobility issues caused by difficulty with balance, co-ordination and tremors.

• Most commonly diagnosed in people in their 20s and 30s, and is 2 to 3 times more common in women than men.

Arthritis

• Stiffening of the joins, making movement painful. • The most commonly affected joints are those in the hands, spine, knees and hips. • Arthritis can also cause issues to develop within other tissues and organs.

• Most common in people who are over 40, and women are 3 times more likely to be affected than men.

Cerebral Palsy

• Delays in reaching development milestones - younger mental age. • Being too stiff or too floppy, weak arms and legs. • Random, uncontrolled movements that can affect the whole body.

• Normally becomes noticeable within the first 2 to 3 years of a child’s life, but will affect them for their whole life.

Epilepsy

• Seizures that can cause stiffness or twitching in a part of your body, loosing complete control of your body and becoming unconscious. • Seizures that can cause all of your muscles to suddenly become stiff, meaning you may lose balance and fall over. • If a seizure lasts a long time it can cause brain damage, and then go on to cause issues within other parts of the body.

Spina Bifida

• Weakness or total paralysis of the legs. • Bowel and urinary incontinence and loss of skin sensation in the legs. • Can cause learning difficulties or disabilities.

• Can affect anybody, can possibly be genetic or sometimes caused by damage to the brain which may come with other challenges. • Caused by a gap in the spine when developing this is normally diagnosed when a child is young but will affect the individual for their entire life.

KEY FINDINGS • All of the disabilities listed in the table have very physical effects on the individual and will cause mobility / independence issues at some point in their life. • Arthritis and Multiple Sclerosis are both more common in women than men, and they are common in women who are between 20 and 40. • Most of the conditions listed in the table will affect individuals who are younger than 30, showing the need to cater accessible underwear to a younger audience and remove the stigma that disabilities are only seen in the older generations. (Ehlers-Danlos Support UK 2020)

ISSUES FACED WITH DISABILITIES Many of these disabilities are not widely talked about, however they are showcased on the Paralympics and Invictus games, these events help to normalise disabilities and encourage people to think about how they can be integrated into mainstream as much as able-bodied consumers are. All of the information and statistics in the table below has been taken from the NHS website.

Muscular dystrophy

• The different types of Muscular Dystrophy are a group of inherited genetic conditions that will cause gradual weakening of muscles which leads to an increased level of disability. • It is a progressive condition so the symptoms can be managed but will eventually get worse and cause more issues.

Thalidomide Babies

• Thalidomide caused a range of disabilities within babies such as shortening and absence of limbs, under-development of hands and digits, damage to ears and eyes, facial disfigurement, brain damage and damage to internal organs or skeletal structure. • They experience severe pain, reduced flexibility and mobility and tingling / numbness.

• In the UK around 70,000 people have MD, and Myotinic MD is the second most common type of MD affecting around 1 in 8,000. It can be diagnosed at any age. • It is estimated that 100,000 babies were affected, over 10,000 babies were born worldwide and around 3,000 survive today.

Dwarfism

• Dwarfism or Restricted growth has two main types, PPS where the whole body has a lack of growth, and DSS where the arms and legs are particularly short. • DSS can also cause short fingers, joint pain, scoliosis and numbness or weakness of the legs.

• Dwarfism is a disability that affects around 6,000 people in the UK and can take on different forms with varied symptoms.

Acquired Brain Injury

• Refers to any brain injury acquired after birth, including traumatic injuries including an accident or non traumatic such as a stroke. • Brain injury effects can come in different forms, with varied severity and they could be long term or temporary. • Physical effects can include fatigue, impaired mobility and weakness / paralysis.

• Can affect anyone at any age due to it being partly caused by serious injury or accidents. • 1.4 million in the UK have a brain injury.

Crohn’s Disease / Ulcerative • A lifelong condition where parts of the digestive system become inflamed, there is no cure for this but one of the main treatments is remov- • An estimated 500,000 people in the UK live Colitis ing a part of the digestive system and replacing it with a Stoma bag. with Crohn’s and Colitis, however this number • Can cause painful, red and swollen skin as well as painful joints and arthritis. is most likely higher. Stroke

• Strokes are caused when the blood supply is cut of to the brain. • Strokes mainly affect adults however around • Lack of blood flow to the brain causes brain cells to die, this can then lead to varying levels of brain injury or disability and in some extreme 400 children in the UK will have a stroke every cases death. year.

Amputees

• Amputation will only be done if the limb has limited movement or function due to birth defects, an infection or a serious trauma. • Many amputees will require mobility aids such as wheelchairs, scooters or crutches, and may have prosthetic limbs. • Some amputees will also have other disabilities that could be the reason that they had the amputation.

• Amputees can be any age, and it is estimated that over 2 million people in the UK live with some sort of amputation.

KEY FINDINGS • The amount of physically disabled people in the UK suffering from conditions such as MD, Dwarfism, Acquired brain injury, Crohn’s and Colitis is over 2.3 million people. This alone accounts for 3.4% of the UK population. • Most of the conditions mentioned in the table can affect individuals at any age, and are lifelong conditions that they will continue to struggle with over their lifetime.

(Ehlers-Danlos Support UK 2020)

• Some of these conditions are progressive so this means that they are only going to get worse over time, so consumers will need more mobility aids as their condition worsens.

MARKET ANALYSIS “Disabled people constitute the largest minority group in the world, yet are the most underserved and underrepresented,” (Cat-Wells, K 2021)

Slick Chicks, Intimately and Jasmine Stacey are the three main competitors within the current UK adaptive lingerie market. There are more brands in the US that offer adaptive underwear but the UK market is much more limited.

KEY COMPETITORS

16 SLICK CHICKS

JASMINE STACEY

COMPETITORS WITHIN THE ACCESSIBLE UNDERWEAR MARKET Slick Chicks Slick Chicks are an accessible underwear brand who offer bras and underwear with easy-to-open fastenings. Their underwear is all white, nude or black and has a medical look to all of the garments; it could not be described as lingerie. The different options available from the brand are Velcro fastening bras, a zip front bra and different styles of underwear with bra clasp style fastenings at the side-seams. While all of these methods create accessible underwear that are easier to put on, they do not necessarily create independence for the individual with a disability. Their prices range from $28 to $50 (£20 to £37), but their products are currently easily available in America.

Intimately -

(AMERICAN EAGLE 2021)

(METRO 2015)

INTIMATELY

“AN INCLUSION REVOLUTION. EVERY OUTFIT STARTS WITH A BASIC BRA AND A PAIR OF UNDERWEAR. BUT WHAT IF YOUR DISABILITY MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO SIMPLY PUT ON?” (Intimately 2021). Intimately is a brand who offer accessible underwear, but they do not currently offer lingerie. This is being added to their website in early 2022. They currently offer more comfortable alternatives with a set of hook and eye bra closures. On the bra options the closures are at the front, and on the underwear options the closures are at the sides. Using bra closures on both pieces of underwear does not promote independence as individuals who do not have good dexterity or who have lost their fine motor skills will still not be able to do these up. Therefore this is not a solution that caters to a wide range of disabilities, just for example lower body amputees or paraplegics.

Jasmine Stacey “MOST LINGERIE ADS CONTINUE TO PROMOTE IMPOSSIBLE BEAUTY STANDARDS. AM I SUPPOSED TO FEEL EMPOWERED? I DON’T. PHOTOSHOPPED IMAGES DON’T SEND A BODY-POSITIVE MESSAGE FOR WOMEN, REGARDLESS IF THEY HAVE AN OSTOMY OR NOT.” (STACEY, J 2018) Jasmine Stacey is a Bournemouth based fashion designer who creates lingerie for women who wear ostomy bags and have illness related scars that they want to cover. She runs this business alongside working as a nurse, so the company is very small. Her collections focus on lingerie with a normal bra and then underwear that is extra high waisted, or has double layered fabrics to help hide the ostomy bag underneath. Her collection was featured on BBC’s Amazing Humans, and this gave her a lot of publicity within the UK lingerie market. Her products are not currently available through her own website, however she has collaborated with a brand called Aura Clothing who have brought some of her underwear designs to life and incorporated them into their own collections.

The research taken from these three brands will help to inform my decisions around what type of closures that I would like to use within my range, and the styles of underwear that will work best. Slick Chicks and Intimately will be more useful to look at the technical aspects of the designs whereas Jasmine Stacey will give me ideas for the style of the lingerie. As Jasmine Stacey is a Bournemouth based brand, I am going to try and contact her for an interview around how she designed these ranges, and her testing / manufacturing processes.

(INTIMATELY.CO 2021)

KEY FINDINGS • Slick Chicks offer bra and underwear solutions using ‘bra-clasp’ fastenings that are accessible for some, but not individuals with limited dexterity. • Intimately offer accessible underwear but not lingerie, so their garments look much more medical and not very pretty. This is good from an accessible point of view, however from an independence and confidence view they are not so good. • Jasmine Stacey creates pieces that are similar to what this project is looking to create, however not quite as accessible as they need to be for certain disabilities.

CASE STUDY - HARRIET ECCLESTON FADUMA FARAH, WHO BECAME A WHEELCHAIR USER AFTER A NEAR-FATAL CASE OF MENINGITIS IN 2011 CONFRONTED THE FASHION INDUSTRY’S NEGLECT WITH THE LAUNCH OF A £10,000 DESIGN COMPETITION – FADUMA’S FELLOWSHIP – TO CREATE A WHEELCHAIR-FRIENDLY COLLECTION. (Stevens, H 2021)

(DAZED DIGITAL 2021)

Harriet Eccleston entered a competition to win funding to create an adaptable line of clothing for women with disabilities. Her research was fuelled by shock when she saw the statistics of how many women are disabled and the availability (or lack of) adaptable clothing. She designed a range of clothing suitable for women in wheelchairs and with mobility issues, this went down well within the competition, ultimately causing her to win. Her collection was shown at London Fashion Week. Following her success she has continued to work with Farah and is now designing two collections a year specifically targeted to women with mobility issues.

“It was womenswear designer Harriet Eccleston who was ultimately crowned winner, though. Having worked with research twins Rebecca and Mel Everett, Eccleston is now collaborating with Farah to create a collection with disabled peoples’ needs at its heart. Launching this London Fashion Week, the final designs will cater to a wide range of disabilities, including the 1.2 million wheelchair users in the UK, and will hopefully encourage more designers to rethink their approach to adaptive fashion, which has historically been bland at best, and impractical at worst.” (Stevens, H 2021) (DAZED DIGITAL 2021)

Harriet explained that her main interest in the project was fuelled by research into the disability community, and how shocked she was by the statistics. Learning that nearly 20% of the population cannot wear the clothes shown at fashion shows such as London Fashion Week shocked her, and she decided that it was time for something to be done about it. Using research from Rebecca and Melissa Everett around wheelchair users and individuals with manual dexterity loss, she began to look into the issue and how this can be solved through better fashion design. Harriet also mentions that most adaptive clothing is designed for the older generation, or for a carer to dress the person. These types of garments do not encourage independence or give individuals confidence in what they are wearing. One of the most important things to consider when designing accessible clothing is that an able-bodied person and a disabled person will have very different body shapes. This is one of the biggest challenges that wheelchair users face and Eccleston has mastered this within her designs. Working closely with Farah to ensure that her designs were meeting the needs that Farah was struggling to find on the high street, she designed her collection and it was then shown in London Fashion Week. These designs were the perfect combination of colour, tailoring and practicality. Eccleston’s designs were well recieved by everyone, especially the disabled community who were excited to see their needs being shown on the catwalk.

The success of the collection was completely down to the innovative yet discreet designs that created practical and comfortable options for wheelchair users while not looking medical.

“FOR TROUSERS, WAISTLINES WERE RAISED AT THE BACK AND CROTCH SEAMS WERE CUT GENEROUSLY, WHILE POCKETS WERE MOVED TO THE SIDES AND PLEATS WERE ADDED TO THE KNEES. MAGNETIC BUTTONS WERE ADDED TO JACKETS, WHILE HIDDEN SEAMS ALLOWED FOR EASIER UPPER BODY MOVEMENT WHILE SEATED. MEANWHILE, ONE OF THE KEY FABRICS USED WAS TENCEL, A TYPE OF RAYON MADE FROM THE PULP OF BEECH TREES THAT TICKS MULTIPLE BOXES: SUSTAINABLE, DURABLE, FLEXIBLE, AND BREATHABLE. “I ALSO WANTED SOMETHING THAT WOULDN’T BE TOO EXPENSIVE, AS I DON’T WANT TO PRODUCE SOMETHING THAT WHEELCHAIR USERS WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO AFFORD,” SAYS FARAH. “BEING IN A WHEELCHAIR IS EXPENSIVE ALREADY.” (VOGUE 2021) (DAZED DIGITAL 2021)

HOW DID YOU INFUSE YOUR PERSONAL DESIGN AESTHETIC WITH THIS PROJECT’S DEMANDS? “It was quite difficult actually, because a lot of my work is quite oversized. But it’s the idea of these timeless pieces that are also seasonal, so they just slip right into anybody’s wardrobe very easily. We’re trying to create a collection that hopefully is a real pleasure to wear and represents the person who’s wearing it.” (Eccleston, H 2021)

KEY FINDINGS • Working alongside Farah who had first hand experience within the sector that Eccleston wanted to explore was one of the most valuable things while they were designing the garments. • Educating designers and up and coming students will help to inspire the next generation to incorporate accessible clothing into every store, giving everyone an equal amount of fashion options. • Using breathable fabrics that can also be easily washed is important to ensure that any accidents or spills will not ruin the clothes, and keep the users comfortable all of the time while still looking stylish.

CASE STUDY - ASOS GOING FOR GOLD

THOMAS HAMER

18 AMY CONROY

“THIS IS OUR THIRD TIME WORKING WITH PARALYMPICSGB, HAVING KITTED OUT THE TEAM FOR BOTH THE RIO 2016 AND PYEONGCHANG 2018 GAMES. FOR EACH GAMES, OUR DESIGN TEAMS CREATED TWO OUTFITS FOR THE TEAM: ONE FOR THE OPENING AND CLOSING CEREMONIES, AND ONE FORMAL OUTFIT FOR OFFICIAL EVENTS IN THE UK.” (ASOS 2021) ASOS begun this project in 2016, and started to educate all of their design staff about the importance of accessible clothing and the importance of understanding the issues that consumers with disabilities face to be able to successfully design clothing for them. Across the past three paralympic games they have partnered with the GB team and provided them with accessible clothing including a formal outfit and a sports outfit. The team carefully considered the fit of the garments and the accessibility of the fastenings and trims used. Similarly to Eccleston, ASOS realised that the fit of garments for individuals who are confined to a wheelchair need to fit differently to accommodate their different body types, and also create clothing for amputees and every type of disability on the team. (ASOS 2021) (ASOS 2021)

“THE PARTNERSHIP HAS GIVEN US A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE TECHNICALITY INVOLVED IN CREATING ADAPTIVE CLOTHING, WHICH MEANS, IN THE FUTURE, WE CAN USE THIS KNOWLEDGE IN DESIGNING PRODUCTS FOR OUR CUSTOMERS, TOO. WE’RE EXCITED TO EXPLORE HOW WE CAN DO MORE IN THIS SPACE GOING FORWARD – WE’LL KEEP YOU POSTED!” (ASOS 2021)

ASHLEY-FACEY THOMPSON

Following the colour scheme of the Paralympics was an important consideration for ASOS, to ensure that the team looked cohesive. To create the range they also used responsible materials and sourced all of their components from ethical and sustainable sources. So not only is the range going to be accessible but also responsible. To design the collection they collaborated with some of the GB Paralympic team: Amy Conroy, Ashley - Facey Thompson and Thomas Hammer. These three athletes come from different sports and all have different disabilities. This created a wide range of opinions for ASOS to work with to ensure that everyone was catered for within the range.

HOW COULD ASOS IMPROVE THIS? ASOS do not currently sell any accessible clothing on their website, and considering they carry over 850 brands that does not make them look like an inclusive retailer. Creating this collection for the Paralympians is a great first step, however it seems a shame for ASOS to educate all of their design teams in the needs of disabled consumers and proving that they can create clothing good enough for the GB Paralympic team shows that they can do it.

(ASOS 2021)

This begs the question; Why do ASOS not stock accessible clothing on their website? Using the knowledge and research they have gained while creating these ranges over the past 5 years, now is the time to begin creating mainstream accessible clothing that the disabled consumer can buy just as easily as an able-bodied consumer can buy their clothing.

KEY FINDINGS • Educating design teams and product developers can be done to a high standard as shown by ASOS. • Working with consumers that will be wearing the garments is an important part of the process to ensure that all of their needs can be met within the designs. • ASOS need to begin to incorporate these findings into their mainstream collections, and offer accessible clothing to the public with the ease of purchase that customers are used to from ASOS.

CASE STUDY - WINGS INTIMATES Founder of Wings Intimates, Azita Yaghoobian created the brand to answer issues brought up by all women, not just women with disabilities. The brand was created in 2016 and has been popular due to their accessibility while still being sexy.

“ WINGS INTIMATES IS A REVOLUTIONARY NEWFOUND DESIGN IN WOMEN’S INTIMATE APPAREL THAT PROVIDES EFFORTLESS COMFORT WHEN CHANGING UNDERWEAR. WINGS INTIMATES COMBINES FUNCTION WITH FASHION GIVING WOMEN THE CONFIDENCE TO REFRESH, REJUVENATE AND FEEL GOOD ABOUT THEMSELVES INSTANTLY, WHENEVER AND WHEREVER.” (WINGS INTIMATES 2021)

(WINGS INTIMATES 2021)

Yaghoobian created this product with women who have had caesarian births so that they did not have to bend over to be able to get dressed; however this concept can be transferred over to women with disabilities. Watching her daughter become a teenager and go through the awkward stage of having to change infront of peers in sports was another situation that inspired her to create an easier way to change. She wanted to create underwear that was still sexy while being accessible so that women did not feel insecure about their underwear and it would not affect their self-esteem.

“Aligned with our philosophy, a portion of our proceeds will be donated to empowering girls around the world.” (Wings Intimates 2021)

(WINGS INTIMATES 2021)

The diagram above explains the different components of Wings Intimates and the features that they have added to create a more accessible underwear style. The clasps at the side make them easy to put on without needing to bend, and a quicker solution to changing underwear if that is needed. The ‘W’ shaped closure is unique to Wings and has been designed to make the process easier than a traditional bra closure.

(WINGS INTIMATES 2021)

KEY FINDINGS

(WINGS INTIMATES 2021)

WHAT’S NEXT FOR WINGS INTIMATES? Wings Intimates has the potential to fill a gap within the market for accessible lingerie, as their underwear is an ideal mix between the needs of able-bodied and disabled consumers. Expanding their product range and sizing, as they currently only offer Small, Medium and Large would be an important part of this journey.

(WINGS INTIMATES 2021)

Wholesale is another opportunity that they could explore, by expanding into department stores or wholesale websites such as ASOS. This would make the collection much more accessible for all consumers instead of just selling on the brand’s own website.

• Some companies don’t always market towards disabilities however their products have transferable components that would make garments more accessible. • There are very few brands who sell sexy yet accessible underwear, and the brands that do only sell a limited amount of options, taking away the choice for disabled consumers. • The clasp used by Wings Intimates is easier to open than a regular bra clasp however their solution is still not ideal for consumers who have limited dexterity, and they would still require assistance to put this underwear on.

CASE STUDY - MASTECTOMY UNDERWEAR Similarly to adaptive and accessible underwear, mastectomy underwear was a niche area of the market that has slowly grown to become part of most mainstream lingerie collections. Looking at the process from the first range of mastectomy underwear will show who are the most progressive brands within the lingerie sector; these are brands to think about when planning who could be a good candidate for adding an accessible range of lingerie to their mainstream product line. Mastectomy bras normally feature soft linings, pockets to accommodate prosthetics, wider straps, thick under-bands, supportive seams and a front clasp. (GLAMOURDAZE 2018)

By the 1960s, mastectomy underwear had grown within the lingerie market, but was mainly sold to house prosthetics not for comfort. Bras had to be upgraded in their quality and structure as silicone became a new material used to create implants hidden within underwear. These bras were significantly more expensive than previously available options, coming out at almost double the cost of a regular prosthetic.

(DAILYMAIL 2018)

In the early 2000s shops started to open to cater purely to women who have had cancer. These stores would sell mastectomy underwear, swimwear and nightwear. In an attempt to make these stores inclusive, they would sell all products in a range of colours and skin tone matches, meaning women had hundreds of options. During the 2000s is when mastectomy bras without prosthetics started to become more mainstream and were integrated into stores such as Marks and Spencer.

2000s

1960s 1980s

1940s

Some of the first recorded mastectomy underwear was created in 1942, it was a collection of breast forms and bras to insert them into, this brand was called ‘Flatterettes’. These were marketed to both women with small breasts as well as women who had mastectomy surgery. If customers bought these products in a store, they would also get advice on which would best fit their body and needs following surgery.

(GLAMOURDAZE 2013)

In a 1980 Forbes article, Steven Solomon commented that a ‘virtually non-existent’ industry a few decades ago is predicted to grow to over $700 million. Ruth Handler, best known for creating the Barbie launched a company called ‘Nearly Me’. By the mid 1980s her company had sold over one million US dollars worth of product, making her one of the most successful mastectomy businesses of her time.

2020s

(CLUFGOOM 2015)

Following the process of Mastectomy underwear evolving from ‘niche’ to ‘mainstream’ will help to inform decisions made within the adaptive lingerie process. This timeline shows just how long it takes to educate brands on medical issues within the fashion industry and create a shift in mindset to get these products incorporated into all new ranges. Mastectomy underwear is still not fully mainstream even after 80 years of development and research, however they are much closer to being fully included within the lingerie sector than they were 50 years ago.

(SEARS, ROEBUCK CATALOGUE 1946 )

(MARKS AND SPENCER 2021)

Some of the information used within this timeline between the 1940s and 2000s was taken from ‘Hiding the Scars: A History of Post-Mastectomy Breast Prostheses, 1945—2000’ a Scholarly Journal written by Kathy Peiss in 2000.

Mastectomy underwear has now become a mainstream section within most lingerie and underwear businesses. Stores such as Marks and Spencer stock different ranges within their stores and even have mastectomy experts to help women work through the process as well as giving advice on the correct underwear for them. According to ‘rethink breast cancer’ the top mastectomy underwear brands are: AnaOno, Amoena, Red Fern Lingerie and La Vie en Rose. The amount of brands that now offer mastectomy underwear is growing and will continue to grow over the next few years.

KEY FINDINGS • Mastectomy underwear has taken over 80 years from initial concepts and products to inclusion into mainstream fashion brands. • Many brands now carry mastectomy underwear as well as selling mainstream bras, and some brands specifically cater to women needing mastectomy underwear. These are both acceptable options as it gives women a wide range of choice around the underwear that they wear. • It has taken over 80 years to get some fashion brands to include mastectomy underwear, so adaptable underwear will most likely take even longer as the issues within the market are so vast, and vary between each consumer.

PRIMARY RESEARCH INTERVIEW - JESSIE GALLAY Jessie Gallay is a Solent University student studying PE, who suffers from Crohn’s Disease. In her case this means that she lives with a permanent stoma bag after having surgery to remove part of her digestive system to treat the disease. She documents her ups and downs with the disease through her Instagram account @ThrowInTheBowel.

(@THROWINTHEBOWEL VIA INSTAGRAM 2020)

1. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR DISABILITY / CONDITION? I have a stoma bag that sits on the right side of my tummy. It doesn’t affect me that much compared to other disabilites but there are certain things in my day to day life that are different to someone else’s routine.

2. WHAT DAY TO DAY CHALLENGES DO YOU FACE THAT ARE RELATED TO YOUR DISABILITY? Day to day challenges are spending longer after getting out the shower as I need to change my bag, and also when going to the toilet spending longer on the toilet when emptying my bag.

3. HOW INDEPENDENT WOULD YOU SAY THAT YOU ARE? AND DO YOU THINK YOUR DISABILITY HAS A ROLE TO PLAY WITHIN THIS? I would say I am quite independent with it as i have had to learn how to manage it by myself especially being at uni. I do think my disability has a role to play in this as because it was a lot to go through at an important part in my life it made me mature up a bit more as i had to deal with it and get on like normal.

4. DO YOU FEEL THAT YOUR DISABILITY AND INDEPENDENCE EFFECT YOUR MENTAL HEALTH? My disability definitely has effects on my mental health, I struggle quite a bit with confidence with it comes to telling new people about my bag and especially in relationships. Sometimes as well I get a bit paranoid when it makes noises in public, and even though sometimes people don’t even hear or notice it bothers me as I can hear it or feel it happen.

5. DO YOU FEEL THAT ACCESSIBLE UNDERWEAR WOULD IMPROVE YOUR INDEPENDENCE AND IN TURN YOUR MENTAL HEALTH TOO? I definitely feel like it is something i would like to try, I have seen a few brands that have done underwear designed for people living with a stoma bag, but more so for the older generation then someone of my age.

6. WHAT IS YOUR OPINION ON THE CURRENT ACCESSIBLE OPTIONS AVAILABLE WITHIN THE UNDERWEAR MARKET? I definitely feel like it is a area to expand on, as said before there is not much about for people of my age, who want to feel good and look nice but still feel comfy and supported.

7. WHEN YOU BUY UNDERWEAR, DO YOU TEND TO BUY ‘NORMAL’ UNDERWEAR OR BRANDS MARKETED SPECIFICALLY FOR CUSTOMERS WITH DISABILITIES? I normally buy normal underwear from Primark but I don’t like anything too tight around where my bag sits.

9. WHAT STYLES OF UNDERWEAR DO YOU BUY, AND WHY? I normally buy thongs as they are the most comfortable for me and I can easily move them around my bag.

11. WHAT FEATURES WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE WITHIN UNDERWEAR THAT AREN’T CURRENTLY AVAILABLE ON THE MARKET? Definitely more underwear available to the younger generation, especially thongs because I haven’t ever seen any that are thongs, most high waisted full coverage

8. WHAT BRANDS OF UNDERWEAR DO YOU BUY? Normally primark thongs or the high waisted ones as sometimes I can put them over my bag and they sit nicely.

10. WHAT TYPES OF UNDERWEAR DO YOU FIND MOST COMFORTABLE AND ACCESSIBLE, AND WHY? I find thongs most comfortable as they sit perfect just under my bag whereas other underwear sometimes doesn’t sit right and can make it quite uncomfortable.

12. WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE LINGERIE BRANDS SELLING ACCESSIBLE UNDERWEAR, AND HOW WOULD THIS MAKE YOU FEEL? It would make me feel happy and more confident and feel good about myself.

KEY FINDINGS • Jessie lives with a stoma bag and finds underwear that sits underneath it most comfortable, as covering it with high waisted underwear can put too much pressure on the bag. • She prefers to wear thongs to make her feel sexy while also being comfortable with her bag. • Daily she spends longer in the toilet and shower than anyone else would, so having underwear that is quick and easy to take on and off would speed up this process. • She would love to see mainstream brands sell accessible underwear.

TARGET CONSUMER “Despite the estimated $490 billion spending power within the disabled population, the efforts toward dismantling ableism within the industry through hiring disabled models and producing adaptive clothing have been slow.” (Fox-Suliaman, J 2021)

GENERATION Z Generation Z are the main target audience for this range, as most of the current adaptive clothing and underwear is marketed towards much older generations. To create a more focussed range, the target consumer will be individuals with mobility issues, limited to no use of their fine motor skills and amputees. The range may also be useful for consumers with other disabilities however trying to accommodate too many issues will mean the items will not be practical or designed to a good standard.

23 KEY BELIEFS • Gen Z believes in diversity across all industries, this may be due to the changes in law and legislation as they grew up, or changing attitudes. “The backdrop of their early years included the country’s first Black president and the legalization of gay marriage.” (AECF 2021) • Gen Z believes that technology is the way forward, and that using it to enhance current experiences will have a large impact on the future. • They believe in speaking out about issues such as mental health and removing the stigma around this, encouraging eachother to get help and improve care for those suffering.

TARGET CONSUMER • • • • • • •

Woman aged 15 - 24 (Gen Z). Has a physical disability that causes her issues when getting dressed. Wants to feel sexy. Wants to regain her independence by being able to dress herself. May struggle with her self confidence due to her disability. Women who want an affordable yet accessible lingerie range. Women who need accessible lingerie but want to be able to shop mainstream lingerie styles. • Women who want to buy accessible lingerie from mainstream stores. • Carers for young women who feel that the underwear they currently have is not age appropriate. • Carers for young women who feel that with a better lingerie solution they may be more independent and be able to dress themselves.

• They believe in progression and want to create a better environment for future generations to grow up in. This includes progression within values, environmental factors and politics. “They will grow into engaged, conscientious stewards of our world — by being socially-minded, independent thinkers, who recognize their responsibility in shaping a more equitable future for all.” (AECF 2021) KEY ATTITUDES • Gen Z consumers are seriously concerned with social and environmental issues, especially surrounding fashion. They back up their beliefs through their habits and spending power. • According to McKinsey, by 2020 Gen Z accounted for 40% of consumers globally, so brands listening to their attitudes is an important consideration. (Braceworks 2019)

GEN Z AND ACCESSIBLE LINGERIE Gen Z’s key beliefs and attitudes indicate that accessible lingerie is a product that they would be interested in. It is progressive and inclusive within the fashion industry, and has a focus on empowering young women with disabilities. All of these aspects tick the boxes that Gen Z want products to cover. The next important step within the development process will be to ensure that the brand this product is integrated into follows sustainable initiatives and is a generally conscious brand. Looking at the brands that Gen Z currently shop at will be a large part of the research within this section to ensure that the range is being implemented within the correct brand. Gen Z have already taken to brands such as Nike and Tommy Hilfiger who have created adaptive clothing to cater to multiple disabilities, and this shows their interest in the area.

• They are also worried about how brands treat their workers, and where they employ from. So the amount of women workers and fairly paid factory workers will influence how Gen Z choose to spend on fashion. • Brands that incorporate these values and attitudes into their brand personality will inevitably be more popular with Gen Z consumers. “Signs of this evolving agenda can be found beyond consumer sentiment, too. Fashion companies are showing signs of getting “woke” (a phrase defined as “alert to injustice in society,” popularized on social media). (McKinsey 2021)

KEY FINDINGS

• Gen Z believe in diversity and inclusivity within all aspects of life, so accessible lingerie will be widely welcomed. • Social and environmental issues are important to Gen Z so choosing a brand that is ethical and sustainable is a consideration that should be made. • Gen Z are not scared to speak out on issues that they feel have not been addressed properly, and this attracts a lot of attention on social media. This may be a good way to market the new range or gain interest in the designs. • They believe that technology is the way forward, and the emerging technologies used to create these products will interest Gen Z.

(SetUp 2021)

TARGET CONSUMERS There are two main types of disabilities to be considered within the target consumer, and this will affect the person purchasing the products. The first is individuals with a congenital disability (born with), where their parents will likely be well educated about disabilities, their child’s needs and what currently works well. For these consumers their underwear and clothing will often be bought by a parent or carer; adding these into the target audience while still catering to what the person with a disability will want. The second is individuals who have acquired a disability at some point in their life, this is sometimes more difficult as it means the person has to come to terms with now being disabled and accept that they may need some disability living aids. Consumers in this group will most likely purchase products for themselves and be able to make choices about what they would like to wear and which products will be suitable for their disability.

Congenital disabilities will generally affect the child’s development and growth as they get older, so they may not be as self aware as someone who has grown up without a disability. This again solidifies the fact that these consumers will normally require carers or parents to take care of the practical elements of their life such as purchasing clothes. Individuals with a congenital disability may not realise that they require adaptive clothing or that it could make their daily processes easier. This is why it is important to not only market this range to consumers with acquired disabilities but also carers for individuals with congenital disabilities.

“A BRIEF DEFINITION OF THE WORD ‘CONGENITAL’ (ALSO KNOWN AS A ‘BIRTH DEFECT’): — A PERIOD BEFORE, OR AT BIRTH, WHEREIN A HUMAN BABY IS DIAGNOSED WITH SOMETIMES SERIOUS BODILY HEALTH ISSUES, OR ‘DEFECTS’. THESE DEFECTS CAN HAPPEN DURING FETAL FORMATION, OR ARE ‘GIVEN’ TO THE CHILD THROUGH GENETIC CODING SUBMITTED BY THE PARENTS AT THE INCEPTION OF THE CHILD’S LIFE.” (Eddy, G 2018) (BBC 2021)

“Having my outfit chosen for me can end up in situations that I’d consider a fashion blunder and add a lot of unnecessary stress to my day. In her article ‘Stress Doesn’t Go With My Outfit’, Dr Danielle Farrel explains that one of the main stigmas she wants to combat is that people with disabilities want to be able to choose what they wear. This is often overlooked, and assumed that they do not care what they wear, or cannot choose their outfits by themselves. This is mainly down to carers choosing the easiest option to dress someone, which is often joggers and a jumper - not the most flattering. For individuals who are non-verbal this can also be a problem as it can be assumed that they do not have an opinion as they cannot speak, however this is not the case.

Take a look at this outfit I had chosen for me - a mustard top with pink tartan trousers and purple boots. Nothing about this outfit matches and nothing reflects my identity. That’s why I am so glad I am able to pick my own clothes but for some disabled people the opposite is the reality, they don’t have a choice and people just think they are doing right by making choices for them.” (Farrel, D 2021)

Farrel explains “For me, every outfit has to be colour co-ordinated from head to foot, including sometimes my hair. I don’t care if I have to buy a t-shirt or top that is two sizes bigger if it means that I can get it on and off. I’d much rather make this choice than have it made for me and wear something that reflects my individuality.”

KEY FINDINGS • Some items will be purchased by parents or carers whereas some items will be purchased by the disabled individual. This depends on their level of needs and amount of awareness. • Campaigns for people with disabilities to choose their own clothes are already being done by people such as Dr Farrel, and accessible lingerie is the next step forwards from this, as it allows them to not only choose the product but dress themselves as well. • 1 in 5 women in the world live with some form of disability, so the market for this product is large, however the stigma around people with disabilities not being sexy or able to have views on their appearance needs to be changed along with the available options.

(UN 2016) (Partners for Inclusion 2021)

FUTURE PROOFING “The biggest obstacle is education. The opportunity is broad, and brands may not know where or to which consumers to focus their efforts.” (Brown, S 2021)

FUTURE CHALLENGES The future challenges within the accessible lingerie sector are listed below, and how these issues could be tackled. Problems faced within this section of the market will not be overnight fixes, and will usually be issues that take lots of research and development. Most of these issues are tackling the accessibility of the whole process from purchase to receiving the product, not just the accessibility of the product itself.

FUTURE CHALLENGES “Disabled people constitute the largest minority group in the world, yet are the most underserved and underrepresented,” says Keely Cat-Wells, the founder and CEO of disabled talent agency C Talent and Zetta Studios, the first fully-accessible studio. “If one does not design for accessibility, it is as if you’re telling every fourth person that comes through your door that you don’t want their business.” Future challenges within accessible lingerie will be mainly focussed around creating underwear that works well for individuals with disabilities while still being sexy. Creating these pieces as an extension of a current lingerie brand would encourage the industry to become more inclusive; however there are challenges that come along with this. Similar to the Nike FlyEase trainers, lingerie needs to be designed to meet the accessible needs that have not been catered for so far, but not be appealing to the mainstream lingerie consumer. Creating products that will satisfy the target consumer while also not catering to other markets is important to ensure that these products will be widely available all of the time and not sell out due to demand by the wrong consumer group.

Creating an accessible environment for consumers to purchase these products is another challenge within the process of selling accessible clothing. Most accessible issues come within brick and mortar retail, such as stores providing steps but no lifts, and small fitting rooms. “From brick and mortar stores without wheelchair access to limited options on e-commerce platforms, shopping for clothes can be particularly challenging for anyone whose body falls outside the ableist, straight-sized norm.” (Haines, A 2021) To avoid having to deal with these issues, some brands will sell through only e-commerce channels, but this also creates problems. With accessible lingerie it is even more important for consumers to be able to try the garments on and see how they fit, and also see if the different closures and methods work for them. Accessible clothing ideally needs to be sold within a brick and mortar store, that has wheelchair ramps, large fitting rooms and staff trained to help all customers and fit accessible lingerie.

“That prompted some to question why Nike would release a limited supply of what is supposed to be an accessible shoe? Wasn’t the whole point of the GO Flyease to give people who were previously excluded or disadvantaged easier access to sneakers? Was this all performative activism? There’s definitely some blame to lay at the feet of Nike, even if you don’t think that the release was used primarily as a marketing tool. The fact is, that people who want the shoe because they need the shoe can’t currently get it.” (OSEI, S 2021) Another challenge will be ensuring that the range has an accessible price point. Another issue with the Nike FlyEase shoe, was that they only released a small quantity of the product, so these were then resold for more than triple the original price. “The sneaker innovation was released with an affordable $120 price tag. Yet, if you’re in the market to buy a pair of Nike GO Flyeases now, get ready to pay upwards of $600.” (OSEI, S 2021) Looking at the target consumer and the average prices that they spend on lingerie will have a part to play within this, as working out how much they normally spend will influence the price of this range. Ensuring that not just the actual product is accessible but every aspect of the process from purchase to receiving the product is accessible, is crucial.

(CPF 2016)

KEY FINDINGS • Create lingerie at an average price point to ensure that it is accessible to all, not just consumers who buy at a higher price. • Consider how brands and retailers could accomodate consumers with mobility issues within their stores, and create ways to incorporate this into their current store designs. • Research the target customer to find out their average spending and how much more it will add to create accessible lingerie. • Create a product that does not appeal to the mainstream consumer, meaning that it will always be available for the disabled consumer.

EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES

(Techpacker 2021)

Technology is going to have a large role within the future of fashion, and accessible fashion is no different; if anything it will require more technologies than mainstream. Emerging technologies that may be useful to explore for an accessible range are: Artificial intelligence, Novel fabrics, Mobile commerce, Virtual reality and 3D printing. These are just a few of the techniques that could be used to develop a range of accessible underwear, and help make the purchasing process accessible too. Artificial Intelligence: According to Kochar, “In recent years, brands have been using AI to enhance customers’ shopping experience, analyze data, boost sales, forecast trends and offer inventory-related guidance.” (2021) This ensures that brands are getting accurate market research and customers can then be matched to the most appropriate products for them. This will be key within the accessible lingerie market as every customer will have different needs, therefore AI may be a consideration to add to the website, ensuring that each customer will be matched with the correct product to meet their needs. Novel Fabrics: To appeal to Gen Z, novel fabrics are a good consideration to make when thinking about the cost of a garment both financially and environmentally. “Novel fabrics are arguably the future of fashion, as another way in which designers can set themselves apart and appeal as a sustainable option.” (Kochar, S 2021) Using novel fabrics would not only set the standard within accessible lingerie but show the rest of the fashion industry that the idea is future proof.

The above image shows how AI can be used within mobile apps to make a profile of the customer and save their details for each purchase. The below image shows a 3D printed jumper, from cotton fibres. This technology has the possibility to be made into lingerie due to the nature of the fabric and detail that a 3D printer can create.

Mobile Commerce: “It has not only impacted our everyday lives, but it has become one of the fastest-growing sectors in eCommerce. Insider Intelligence forecasts that mobile commerce will reach $284 billion, or 45% of the total U.S. e-commerce market, by 2021.” (Kochar, S 2021) Using mobile commerce within this range will mean that it is even more accessible, and easy to use. Adding in options such as paying with digital cards, and saving details within customers phones creates a simple customer journey from opening the site to purchasing. Creating this accessible purchase journey for disabled customers is an important step. Virtual Reality: The difficulty with disability clothing is the fit, and ensuring that there will be inclusive options for every customer. VR can be a huge help with this, as customers can try on garments virtually from home as well as get measured by an app to estimate their size. This will remove the difficult stage of estimating sizes online and then customers returning items if they do not fit, as well as being able to see if they feel that the new designs will be helpful for their disability. According to Kochar, “This is certainly true in the fashion industry: one widespread use of VR is enabling customers to virtually try on outfits. This gives greater accuracy, thanks to customized measurement functionality, and also employs augmented reality technology.” (2021) 3D Printing: Using 3D printing within fashion is a new concept, but it has been used before to create prototype models of new garments. This could be an opportunity used within accessible lingerie to test the new clasps and mechanisms used within the underwear, to see the durability and practicality of the items. Having a physical product to test on will make it easier to pass on to focus groups of young people with disabilities as well as Occupational Therapists to get their expert opinions on how this product would be improved. The other positive of 3D printing for production of garments is that they can be easily customised; a positive within the accessible clothing industry. As disabilities are so vast and no two customers will be exactly the same, this would offer the opportunity to tailor each piece to the specific customer and ensure that it works exactly as they need it to. “Since the advent of 3D printers, many brands, both big and small, have been looking into the possibilities it holds for on-demand production. This will create new avenues for customization, sustainability and creativity.” (Kochar, S 2021)

(3DNatives 2021)

KEY FINDINGS • Using technology within the development process of an accessible lingerie range is necessary and will aid the design of the products. • AI and 3D printing will be two of the most interesting technologies to explore for this range, as they will create the most accessible options for consumers. • Novel fabrics will ensure that the range is current and relevant by being sustainable while also meeting the brief of being accessible for the disabled consumer. • VR could be used to ensure that the fit of the garment is correct along with AI to store the customers information on a Mobile Commerce site.

FUTURES CONE The futures cone model developed by Hancock and Bezold in 1994, and has been used by analysts and academics to explore the possible futures of an idea or situation. Using this model to explore all of the possible routes that adaptive lingerie could take in the future will help to prepare for any situation that may occur.

“The ‘futures cone’ model was used to portray alternative futures by Hancock and Bezold (1994), and was itself based on a taxonomy of futures by Henchey (1978), wherein four main classes of future were discussed (possible, plausible, probable, preferable)” (Voros, J 2017)

PROJECTED FUTURES:

Very few brands sell accessible / adaptive underwear, and these brands are all specifically for disability products. No mainstream lingerie or underwear brands are selling a range of accessible underwear, and they will not develop any accessible lingerie ranges within their mainstream offer.

PROBABLE FUTURES:

A couple of mainstream lingerie brands create a brand extension to incorporate accessible lingerie into their offer, but only one or two options. These brands only offer the accessible options online, and they are sold at a much higher price point than their mainstream collection, making the pieces less accessible instead of catering to the needs of the target consumer.

PLAUSIBLE FUTURES:

All mainstream lingerie and underwear brands offer one option of accessible lingerie on their website. This option will be a mainstream style that they have adapted to make accessible, ensuring that customers can shop sexy lingerie styles while also being able to dress themselves. (TheMedium 2020)

KEY FINDINGS POSSIBLE FUTURES:

All large lingerie players within the UK market have a range of accessible lingerie, created from existing styles that have been adapted to include easier openings and fastenings. These options will all be available within every UK store, and online making them accessible to everyone. On top of this, the range will stick to the original pricing of the mainstream style that was adapted to ensure consistency across the brand.

PREPOSTEROUS FUTURES:

Every single UK lingerie brand must offer a range of accessible lingerie, no matter the size of the brand. There is a change in laws and legislation to enforce this, and any brand not catering to the disabled consumer will be branded as discriminatory and penalised.

• The future cones model helps to explore all of the possible future outcomes and then decide which is the most likely to be true. • In this case, the probable futures option is the most likely to happen in the near future. • Laws and legislation will probably never change to make brands discriminatory against disabilities for not catering to their needs properly. • Currently the UK is in the projected futures section where no brands sell accessible underwear as well as mainstream.

FMP PROJECT TIME PLAN

FMP PROJECT TIME PLAN THE PROJECT PLANNER BELOW SHOWS HOW THE TIME BETWEEN THE START OF FMP AND THE HAND IN WILL BE SPLIT UP BETWEEN TASKS AND SECTIONS OF THE ASSIGNMENT. AFTER EACH OF THE FIRST TWO SECTIONS THERE WILL BE A FORMATIVE HAND IN AND THE OPPORTUNITY GAIN VALUABLE FEEDBACK ON THE WORK UP UNTIL THAT POINT.

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