During an extended hospital stay in London in 2016, for a ruptured ulcer, Victoria Jenkins was dismayed to see her roommate, who was a cancer survivor, poked, prodded, and repeatedly exposed in her ill-fitting hospital garb.
Jenkins, who had spent a decade as a garment technologist for luxury brands such as Sweaty Betty and Victoria Beckham (where it was her job to perfect the fit and performance of clothing), began exploring better options online. She quickly realized that there weren’t many. Tommy Hilfiger had launched a line of preppy clothing in 2016 that addressed some of the needs of disabled adults and then the first-ever adaptive line for children, but few other brands were structured to accommodate the tangible needs of people who are chronically ill or physically disabled, let alone make them feel attractive. “I realized I could put my garment construction knowledge to better use,” she says.
Three years ago, with funding from savings, family, friends, and Kickstarter, she launched Unhidden, the first sustainable adaptive clothing line to address many of the specific anatomical and mobility issues faced by an estimated 1 billion people worldwide (who have an estimated $8 trillion a year in disposable income).
Unhidden’s cotton and silk shirts (around $60 to $120) feature concealed openings to allow unfettered access to arm and chest ports (and are also handy for discreet breastfeeding). For wheelchair users, there are streamlined pants (around $80) that feature a higher back rise, lower pockets, and zipper openings on the sides and lower legs, along with a selection of wrap designs that employ soft, stretchy fabrics for easier dressing. “These simple changes make such a huge difference for people and their dignity,” Jenkins says. Shoppers can purchase clothing directly from the Unhidden site.
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