Adaptive Clothing for the Elderly of India: Analysis of the Current Market Scenario

Abstract

Since the beginning of civilisation, clothing has played a vital role in the lives of mankind. Humans use clothing to express themselves and build a positive relationship with others in the society. However, the fashion business has always concentrated on a narrowly defined retail client based on modern cultural notions of beauty: young, conventionally beautiful, and able bodies, with very little inspirational work done in inclusive fashion clothing (Azer et al., 2012; Carroll, 2015). Most of the elderly people struggle with limited body movements and functions and therefore find it difficult to fit into the clothes made by the fashion retail industry. They require clothing that are adaptive, meaning clothing that are easily accessible, made to fit their body requirements and do not compromise on style. The good news is that there is a noticeable shift in the fashion industry and there are many brands which are working in the domain of adaptive clothing. In the international market there are a number of retail organisations that have a dedicated clothing line for the elderly. However, the adaptive clothing market in India is at a nascent stage. There are just a handful of brands working in this sector. The objective of the research was to study the current market players offering adaptive clothing in India. The data was collected from the social media pages of five home grown brands. An in-depth analysis was done in terms of the product range, their functionality, available sizes, choice of textiles etc. The percentage of elderly population is growing in India but the number of products and choices offered by these Indian brands are limited. Therefore, this sector has a huge potential. Research should be carried out to identify the needs of the consumers and suitable product line should be developed.