Tommy Hilfiger has joined forces with Runway of Dreams in order to launch an adaptive, stylish line of Hilfiger clothing for children with disabilities. The brilliant idea came from Mindy Sheier, a mom and fashion designer whose son, Oliver (Muscular Dystrophy), wanted to wear jeans like the other kids in school. Oliver uses leg braces in order to walk safely and Mindy knew that the jeans he so badly wished to wear would not be able to fit over them.
Mindy, being a designer, knew she could do something to help her son. She founded Runway of Dreams [1] as a nonprofit organization working with the fashion industry to adapt mainstream clothing lines available for the differently-abled community. According to Mindy, she was fortunate enough to meet the team at Global Brands Group, a leading branded apparel company. The team there introduced her to Gary Sheinbaum, CEO of Tommy Hilfiger Americas. He understood the mission of Runway of Dreams and set the clothing line into motion. After Mindy spoke with multiple families about this clothing issue, she then set into motion focus groups that gathered other families’ thoughts and concerns with typical children’s clothing and this style apparel. Mindy found three commonalities that would make their lives easier: modified closures, adjustability and alternate options to get in and out of the garments.
“Clothing can empower, clothing can create confidence, clothing can make a difference.” ~ Mindy Scheier
[2]
Images courtesy Tommy Hilfiger // Credit: Richard Corman
(Continued on page 2)
The line includes shirts, pants and dresses, in styles for both boys and girls. Each clothing option comes with magnetic closure that makes the “getting dressed process” easier for kids in a wheelchair, leg braces or for those with motor delays. There are 22 pieces for boys spanning sizes 4-20 and girl’s sizes run from 4-18. Every detail was considered so the clothing is not only functional, but looks exactly the same as the TH Kids collection. They also cost the same price.
The line is currently available for purchase online or in-store. The PSN Team is excited for the future of Runway of Dreams and their partnership with Tommy Hilfiger and cant wait to see what they come up with next!
Check out the video below to learn more about Runway of Dreams
Visit the Tommy Hilfiger website here [3] to browse the collection.