Dressing differently: the fashion industry begins to acknowledge physical disability and health conditions

Fashion has long set the standards, requiring bodies to conform. Today, medical realities sometimes challenge that supposed absolute, spurred on by certain players in the clothing industry. From RougeGorge’s post-mastectomy bra to the Salomon x Hopper ski prosthesis, a number of initiatives are tracing the outlines of a more inclusive fashion landscape.

For a women’s lingerie brand, breast cancer is an unavoidable issue. One in eight women in France is at risk of developing the disease. RougeGorge has been supporting women with breast cancer since 2011, initially through donations. In 2015, Amélie Flament, then collection manager, began developing a collection tailored for women battling breast cancer. This need was frequently raised in stores, and at the time her own mother was facing her first breast cancer diagnosis.

“Our sales assistants would hear women open up. It’s very special when you work in lingerie: in a changing room, a woman really lays herself bare. Our sales advisers are extremely important at RougeGorge. There’s a genuine human relationship and trust that develops,” says Amélie Flament.

RougeGorge and intimate, post-operative well-being

The company then began working with a network of women who had undergone breast cancer surgery, doctors, and gynaecologists. “We realised that our product wouldn’t be the one a woman wears in the first few days after her operation,” explains Amélie Flament. RougeGorge therefore comes into play once healing has occurred, offering customers a comfortable, non-wired product in organic cotton. A moulded rather than stitched lining is used, as seams can be irritating.

With a first collection launched in 2017, the Soutien Rose line is regularly updated: the hook-and-eye tab is lengthened, band adjustment uses a sliding system to avoid rubbing on scars… With a limited number of styles, the line aims to cover as many needs as possible.

Today, Soutien Rose has around 20 styles, plus swimwear, available in 33 brick-and-mortar stores and on the RougeGorge e-commerce site. To remain attractive, they are developed in the same way as the main collections. More desirable products, such as bodysuits, are due to be launched soon.

Initiatives that struggle to be heard

Moreover, these inclusive products are sold at the same price as those in the main lines, the least expensive being available for €29.99. This positioning is crucial: inclusivity cannot be achieved at the expense of affordability. The Wasquehal-based lingerie brand is also considering other distribution channels, such as boutiques specialising in post-operative products. A total of 53,000 customers have purchased a Soutien Rose product since 2017. RougeGorge is also working on the development of a product certified as a ‘Medical Device,’ which must meet precise specifications to qualify for reimbursement.

The latest initiative on this non-exhaustive list: three years ago, RougeGorge took part in a fundraising round for the Lille-based start-up Lattice Médical, which has developed a bio-prosthesis enabling breast reconstruction, with the body naturally filling the space enclosed by the device, which eventually dissolves.

Despite their impact, these initiatives are still struggling to gain real traction. Visiting the Trajectoire Cancer trade show in Lille on February 7, Amélie Flament noted that, even in RougeGorge’s heartland, the brand’s breast-cancer-related products and initiatives are not widely known.

Fashion, sport, and mobility

Other lingerie brands are committed to the day-to-day support of women who have battled breast cancer beyond Pink October. AnaOno, launched in 2012 by Dana Donofree, herself a breast cancer survivor, has made this its core mission. It sells several types of breast forms in addition to bralettes and seamless bras.

Lingerie is not the only field in which the industry is trying to adapt. In sport, another French player has taken a similar approach, albeit with very different technical constraints. At Salomon, this focus on inclusivity has resulted in the development of sports prostheses for amputees since 2019. The brand enlisted the insight of triple amputee Jérôme Bernard to create affordable running prostheses.

The Annecy-based brand has partnered with Albi-based start-up Hopper, whose founders developed a running prosthesis from carbon offcuts supplied by Airbus. By attaching an outsole to the prosthesis, Salomon completes this device designed to get amputees back on track.

Prostheses used at Milano-Cortina

In 2022, Salomon and Hopper went a step further with the Hopper 3000 project, with which six amputee athletes climbed a 3,000-metre peak in the French Alps. The success of the project led to the creation of the Salomon Para-Team, made up of athletes Jérôme Bernard, Boris Ghirardi, Fabrice Baudet, Sarah Legrand, Lucas Liens, Fayçal Toumi, and Julien Veysseyre.

This same spirit of innovation has extended to the creation of adaptive prostheses for skiing and snowboarding, as well as a range of athlete-inspired clothing and bags. With the design of a first mock-up in May 2023, the project was formalised around a group of 50 people, including Sylvain Merlin, lead exploration designer for winter sports equipment at Salomon, who helped broaden the creative exploration to other activities via Salomon’s ‘Change Our Tomorrow’ programme.

Today, the Adaptive team continues its work to improve prototypes and contribute to the sporting achievements of the Salomon Para team, as well as the one billion people with disabilities worldwide. Ski prostheses were also used by para-athletes at the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics.

Adapting everyday clothing

Creating a trail-running or ski prosthesis calls for advanced engineering. But inclusivity can also come down to much simpler solutions: with “one-handed zips, magnetic buttons, and seams that open to accommodate prostheses,” as Tommy Hilfiger notes. The American brand has had a discreet line called ‘Tommy Adaptive’ since 2016. The pieces also feature relocated pockets for easy access and are made from very soft materials with flat seams to avoid sources of irritation, particularly for autistic people. Zalando also has an ‘adapted fashion’ line featuring brands such as YourTurn, Pier One, and Skechers. The company has moreover recently highlighted adapted fashion with a fashion show.

These adaptations, whether in sport or ready-to-wear, raise the same central question: at what cost, and who should bear it? Among the brands and companies mentioned, prices are the same as for non-adapted clothing. And rightly so, because in France the additional cost associated with disability is estimated at between 30% and 44% of income, regardless of the measure of living standards, according to figures gathered between 2017 and 2019 and analysed in the study ‘How to take into account the additional cost linked to disability in measuring household standard of living in France?’. This figure varies according to whether or not the disability is recognised by the MDPH (Maison Départementale des Personnes Handicapées), the type of condition, and, above all, the country.

While some brands are distinguishing themselves with noteworthy initiatives, adapted fashion remains a niche market. With 1.3 billion people worldwide living with a disability, according to the WHO (2023), adapted fashion represents a concrete and attainable goal for companies that consider themselves inclusive. Still largely underdeveloped, this market also represents clear commercial potential.