If you read my post a few months ago about the ReelAbilities events occurring in Houston, you may remember how much giving back to the community means to me and how much I cherish my experiences working with individuals living with disabilities. When Zappos approached me to introduce their new Zappos Adaptive: Functional and Fashionable Products to Make Life Easier product line, I quickly jumped at the chance to share this new section of their website with all of you.
It wasn’t until I started spending more time with individuals who had disabilities that I realized how much I take for granted. Maybe it’s the ability to tie my own shoes? Or being able to get dressed by myself in the morning? I know, I know. Sometimes I feel like I go through everything in my closet and don’t feel like I got dressed. But how would it feel if I physically could not put close on myself everyday? Well, that is the reality for some men, women and children with disabilities. Luckily, one customer decided to share these struggles with Zappos and let them know that there was a huge gap on their website and in the market, as a whole, – adaptive clothing for those living with special needs. After hearing this, Zappos decided to launch the Zappos Adaptive: Functional and Fashionable Products to Make Life Easier category on their website to provide functional and fashionable adaptive clothing and shoes to those that need it most.
If you’ve ever seen the show, Born this Way (btw, if you feel like you are having a bad day, go watch this show – I guarantee it will put a smile on your face), or spent time with individuals with disabilities, you’ve probably heard two to things that they want most in life – love and independence. Heck, don’t we all want that in our lives. To support the later need, Zappos‘ intent with this new collection is to adapt mainstream fashion to be functional to a wide variety of special needs. By adjusting the designs of this clothing, the amount of time and effort required to get dressed can be minimized.
The Zappos Adaptive: Fashion and Functional Products to Make Life Easier section of Zappos‘ website feature two main adaptive brands, 4Away (Zappos private label brand) and Independence Day Clothing. One of the things both clothing brands are focusing on the following, 4-way reversible clothing, which gives a solution for dressing – anyway the clothing is put on, it’s on right. From a shoes perspective, both 4Away and Independence Day are providing easy access to shoes with alternative closures (read: no laces), such as hook-and-loop, slip-ons and bungee shoes.
P.S. This post is not sponsored. I did collaborate with Zappos to share some of their brand messaging, but I am truly excited about this new collection. This new product line to help make the lives of those living with disabilities a little bit easier is something that I hold near and dear to my heart and I couldn’t help but say yes to share this message and their mission of inclusivity.
