Zalando: The collaborative process of designing Adaptive Fashion for kids and athletes with disabilities

What inspired you to become involved in Adaptive Design?

I took a lot of inspiration from my work in social services before I joined Zalando. I worked in retirement homes and helped older people in everyday situations. It was a great experience, and I’m glad to benefit from personal insights on dressing and supporting people with individual needs to include this in my designs.

I’m excited about the chance Zalando’s given me to be part of important projects through their commitment to diversity and inclusion. It’s an awesome focus area and I’m looking forward to contributing my creativity to make a real impact on the industry’s future.

What was the thinking and process behind the collections?

For people with disabilities and their dedicated supporting individuals, our collection aims to provide functional, adaptable, and fashionable choices that celebrate their individuality. Whether it’s adaptive sportswear for athletes with disabilities or kidswear that allows children to explore the world with ease, our collection is designed to empower and uplift. But what are their needs and how do garments support them best? We had to understand this first, which took a great deal of researching, learning and, most crucially, listening.

Since the initial launch of adaptive products on Zalando, we’ve been conducting extensive research to educate ourselves, especially now that we’re working on items for kids and sportswear. Every individual’s needs can be so unique.

For sportswear specifically, we partnered with Ottobock and their athletes, incorporating feedback rounds and knowledge exchanges into the design process. After this, we invited the athletes to fitting sessions where we reviewed the products together. We gained incredible insights and used these to either push the boundaries of fashion or remove design details that might not be suitable or useful. For example, a magnetic clasp that might have been the best solution for our other adaptive textile products could be counterproductive on adaptive sportswear, because the presence of a magnet could disrupt the intricate technology integrated into a prosthesis.