Fashion Student Creates Adaptive Brand to Address Industry Needs

Drawing on her personal experiences, a fashion student has established an adaptive fashion and accessory brand aimed at individuals with disabilities, with the goal to “make a change in the industry for the better”. May Gauntlett, aged 21, launched her brand, May Marigold, during the summer, and her creations were recently showcased in an inclusive fashion tour. The designer, who hails from Norwich, identified recurring challenges when attempting to find accessible and adaptive apparel. She stated, “I would avoid trying on clothing because changing rooms weren’t fitted for my needs in terms of adaptiveness and neither was the clothing.” Adaptive clothing refers to garments specifically engineered to accommodate an individual’s dressing requirements or physical stature. Ms Gauntlett explained, “It may mean the clothing I make has an extra zip on the end to allow for the movement of prosthetics when dressing.” Data from the Research Institute for Disabled Consumers indicates that 59% of individuals would purchase more adaptive wear if it were offered by mainstream retailers. In the UK, approximately 62% of people with a disability reported challenges in locating clothing that provided comfort and satisfaction due to their disability, health condition, or impairment. In January, Primark disclosed plans to introduce accessible underwear in its stores, while George at Asda already provides an Easy On Easy Wear collection for individuals under 16 years old. May received diagnoses of functional neurological disorder (a condition impacting how the brain transmits and receives information to/from the rest of the body), postural tachycardia syndrome (which influences heart rate), and joint hyper mobility syndrome (characterized by very flexible joints), all of which can impede her capacity to produce clothing. She established her brand after earning a degree in fashion design from the Norwich University of the Arts, following her relocation to Norfolk from Brighton. She personally crafts all her garments, managing her small-scale enterprise from a rented studio located in Norwich. She commented, “When I am creating wear, my dexterity is not where I’d like it to be… I can struggle with sewing as it requires a lot of hand movements and strength.” She added, “It’s a very time-consuming passion, but it’s the passion that drives me to keep going.” She described witnessing models showcase her clothing at The Inclusive Fashion Tour in Manchester as a significant moment, noting that the feedback received was “overwhelmingly positive”. She remarked, “Seeing the models’ faces when they got to try something on, and it being easy for them to get into, was the highlight for me.” She continued, “It’s so simple how to include the adaptions needed and I think people are finally starting to feel seen by clothing, which I think is really powerful.” She also stated, “It’s allowed me to meet an amazing community of people with disabilities and learn about their struggles with fashion and how they want the industry to start including them.” The community interest company organizing the tour invited Ms Gauntlett to participate, expressing that they were “so impressed with her use of unapologetic colour, and fun, funky designs”. The company commented, “Fashion for disabled people is often overlooked, and some adaptive designs available can be very plain.” They added, “We love the concept of disabled people who love to have fun with their fashion, being able to do that through May Marigold.” Ms Gauntlett conveyed that her message to the fashion industry is to “include disabled people, think about the functionality of a design and how people with disabilities would put it on”. She further stated, “I think this representation would have been life-changing for me when I was younger… it’s important to remind people that the disabled community is a minority that anyone can join at any time as well.” She exclusively utilizes second-hand fabrics for her designs and cannot recall the last instance she purchased new material. She explained, “My clothing is priced at what people can afford; being a person with disabilities is extremely expensive with many extra costs already.” She articulated her aspiration: “The big dream for me is seeing people in the disabled community embracing their individuality and being able to get dressed in the morning with a spark of independence.” She concluded, “To see adaptive fashion walking down the High Street and being embraced by everyone.” For updates on Norfolk news, follow BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram, and X. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content of external sites. Information regarding their approach to external linking is available.