Being a kid can be fun. Recess at school, trips to the park and wearing the cool new clothes that everyone is wearing are all things children can look forward to. Unfortunately, wearing the cool new clothes that everyone is wearing can be difficult for children who are differently-abled. Well, Tommy Hilfiger has come up with a way to include everyone in their new clothing line designed to cater to children with missing limbs or wheelchairs.
The clothes have magnets on the back of the shirts to make it easier to put them on, instead of buttons or zippers. Pants and shirts will have adjustable lengths in order to accommodate children with missing limbs. The line was launched on Feb. 22 online and will cost around the same as the regular children clothes at Tommy Hilfiger.
This new clothing line was created with the help of Mindy Scheier, of Livingston, New Jersey. Scheier is the founder of the Runway of Dreams nonprofit organization. Runway of Dreams strives to work with the fashion industry to make clothes more accessible for different-abled people. Scheier says that she created Runway of Dreams for her son, Oliver, who is 10 years old and has a rare form of muscular dystrophy.
Oliver's form of MD requires him to wear leg braces, therefore making it difficult for him to dress himself. Scheier says that she was faced with a decision to make when Oliver came home from school one day asking to wear jeans like a normal kid instead of the sweatpants which had become a daily part of his school wardrobe. Scheier says:
"I was faced with a decision that really shook me to the core, because he cannot undo the button and zipper of the jeans. So I was faced with the decision of sending him in jeans unsafely (without his braces), at which point he would need help to go to the bathroom or send him in sweatpants and have him standout."
Scheier, a former designer for Federated Department stores, decided to put her fashion experience to good use and do something to help kids like Oliver. She started Runway of Dreams in the hopes that she could grab some traction to start a change in the fashion industry. That's where Fishman & Tobin comes in.
Fishman & Tobin is a clothing retailer that specializes in children's clothing including Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein Kids and Izod. Scheier partnered with the retailer to show them samples for clothes that would allow for children who are differently-abled to wear the same clothes as their peers.
I applaud you, Mindy Scheir. It's cool living in a society that isn't afraid to want to make things accessible for everyone.