In a first among the major professional sports leagues, the National Football League will launch an adaptive and assisted apparel capsule collection for all 32 teams on Wednesday.
The clothing is designed to be more accessible for those who find it difficult to dress or those with sensory sensitivities to certain textures or materials.
Designed by G-III, the product includes short- and long-sleeve T-shirts, fleece crewnecks and hoodies with hidden and wider openings, magnetic closures in lieu of buttons, extended pullers and magnetic connectors for zipper closures and bungee cords. The line also includes short-sleeve tees with a fully open back and snap closures to allow caregivers to dress individuals more easily.
“Our apparel is created with the fan in mind and with the design expertise offered by industry leader, G-III, we produced the League’s first adaptive and assisted apparel that serves our diverse fanbase,” said Joe Ruggiero, senior vice president of consumer products at the NFL. “The collections will allow fans to cheer on their favorite team with confidence, comfort and independence.”
“G-III is proud to design the first adaptive and assisted apparel fashion collections for NFL fans. These collections make sports apparel more inclusive than ever before and are a natural expansion of the classic sports collection we already produce for the NFL,” said Carl Banks, president of G-III’s sports division. “Our innovative designers were able to create apparel that is super functional and provides new options to empower fans to express themselves, as they confidently support their NFL team of choice.”
Both the adaptive and assisted capsule collections will be sold on nflshop.com. Prices range from $49.99 for the adaptive T-shirt to $64.99 for the hoodie.
Adaptive apparel has become more commonplace of late with companies ranging from Tommy Hilfiger and Zappos to Target and JCPenney offering clothing for people with mobility issues. As many as 61 million adults in the U.S. have a disability, which is a quarter of the adult population. And 3.7 percent of adults have difficulty getting dressed, though adaptable apparel remains challenging to come by.
Source: WWD