Fashion Forward

Designer Izzy Camilleri (centre) with Carolyn Pioro (left) and Barbara Turnbull  (Photo: Chris Chapman)

Izzy Camilleri , one of Canada’s top fashion designers, has done what no fashion designer has ever dared – or probably even thought – to try: She’s created an adaptable collection of clothes for “seated clientele.” Called “iz,” the 32-piece collection clearly reflects the extensive research and thinking Camilleri has put into it. 

“The problem was always about generalizing,” Camilleri said recently, from her Toronto home studio, where she developed the collection that’s available online.

Difficulty generalizing? That’s an understatement. I became intimately acquainted with the dilemma of dressing around paralysis and a wheelchair at the age of 18, when a bullet to my neck determined that I would be sitting, not standing and certainly not walking, during my waking hours for the foreseeable future. It’s 26 years later and nothing’s changed.

As a teenager, once I knew my spinal cord injury wasn’t going away, one of the first things I wondered was “What am I going to wear?” I soon learned there was not a satisfying answer to be found.

For a long time, jogging suits seemed the most logical answer. In rehab, that’s all everybody wore, ever. It was also quickly apparent that purchasing clothes off the rack usually wasn’t an option. It was impossible to find pants with an inseam long enough to prevent “floods.” Blouses and jackets were too tight to get on (never mind lingerie). Coats were difficult and bulky. And skirts were not a consideration for long. 

Some things, like jogging pants, are universal. So are sweatshirts and leisure pants. Enough said.

Perhaps fashion matters more to us girls, but even for the other sex, don’t“clothes make the man”? Appearance is a huge part of self-esteem, and such limited choices do nothing to help.

Yet, we all seem to find our way. “A lot of labour goes into making conventional clothing ‘work’ for us,” Catherine Frazee, well-known disability activist, noted. “Certainly what has become apparent to me is that a lot of women with disabilities are individually addressing the challenges of taking our non-conventional bodies into conventionally stylish clothing, with remarkably creative, individualistic and yet invincible modifications.”

Maybe so, but not without a lot of trial, error and effort. Early on, I found someone to make pants for me. Eventually, I had some other clothes custom-made by a professional – a cape for winter, and one for warmer weather. I also had some suit jackets made with invisible zippers up the back. They were attractive and serviceable, but still took effort to put on and remove.

I met Camilleri a few years back, when I was looking for someone to make me a shearling winter cape. That morphed to a number of other outerwear capes, giving me selection I’d never known.

I introduced Camilleri to Carolyn Pioro, a friend with the same high level of paralysis as me. That’s when Camilleri first mentioned her interest in doing a collection for us seated folks. I didn’t think it was possible and, after a brainstorming session with some other wheelchair-using friends at my place, the idea seemed to fade away. But it stayed on Camilleri’s mind and, after she started working with Pioro, it came to the forefront of her work.

The complexity of the project is why she stuck to basics: shirts, jackets and pants, but also bathrobes, a raincoat, outerwear capes and even hosiery – sexythigh-length stockings with comfortable cotton tops that stay up.

Her unique jacket design for people with extremely limited mobility is largely backless. It separates into right and left pieces, making it a breeze for any helper to put on or take off with little movement required by the wearer. Other jackets are longer, with backs but less fabric in general, so there is no bunching anywhere.

Camilleri’s skirts and pants are designed in an L-shape to better fit someone who’s sitting. They are au courant cuts, streamlined to flatter the shape of people who always sit. There are no cluttering or fussy details that may affect skin integrity,  and anyone familiar with Camilleri’s well respected mainstream leather and fur lines will recognize some of the eye-catching details.

Pioro and Anita Kaiser, a woman with mobility in her upper body, tested countless samples throughout the design process. Their feedback resulted in the option of a soft jersey lining, and carefully placed darts and seams. 

For Pioro, every clothing choice since her spinal cord injury four years ago felt like a compromise. The stylish young woman took some items to a tailor to modify, but they either had badly placed zippers or required more zippers to use comfortably. Unforgiving waistlines and other details left a map on her body each night, she recalls. “You just can’t find much that works and is fashion-forward.”

What sets Camilleri’s clothes apart is a flattering aesthetic that fits wheelchairs in a streamlining way, Pioro says. “When she first showed me a prototype for a pair of jeans, I must’ve showed as much excitement as someone who has had a small religious experience of sorts,” Pioro says. “It even made me a little weepy, because now there was something tailored for me, my body and my needs.”

Camilleri spent considerable effort choosing fabrics that are durable but not harsh on the body. She also kept affordable pricing in mind, and has managed to offer better-than-usual quality with average price points. T-shirts start at $24, unlined pants are under $100, and her basic blazer is $225. Most items are available in at least five colours.

“These garments are truly an investment,” Pioro says. “For wheelchair users, clothing takes a lot of abuse. These pieces will last and still be fashionable in a couple of years.” 

All buyers can customize items by adding zippers to facilitate discreet placement of chest straps or catheter tubes – Camilleri has even included a catheter cover in the collection. She welcomes questions and input by phone or email.

“What I like about this initiative is that Izzy’s designs offer some possibility of relief from this labour [of searching for what works],” Frazee says. “What a joy it is to actually contemplate purchasing a ready-to-wear article of clothing.”

Camilleri’s plans include collections for men and children, along with more pieces and further refining in her women’s collection. That’s good news for all of us.

For more information about Izzy Camilleri’s Iz Collection of Adaptable Clothing, please visit http://izzycamilleri.com 

Barbara Turnbull is a journalist at The Toronto Star.