Tuesday 16 August 2022: Sewn Adaptive is an educational platform for tailors and existing/new sewists to learn alteration techniques to adapt fashion to make it more accessible to all parts of the community.

Lynn Brannelly Costume Designs of @lws_lynnwardrobesews and Alexander Andronescu Fashion designer of @AlexofArabia are the co-founders of Sewn Adaptive.

In this recording, you’ll hear what motivates them to use their industry experience to help adapt clothes for all parts of the community. They’re sharing their knowledge with us through their videos on their Instagram account Sewnadaptive.

Home sewists and new sewists can learn adaptation techniques they can do for themselves or for their loved ones with a few sewing notions. 

Runway of Dreams 2022: When you watch Runway of Dreams, the fashion and clothing looks like fashion and clothing. Lynn points out that you might not see the adaptions made to these clothes at all but the alterations were made for the wearer’s needs. The adaptions are tasteful, proportional and stylish.

Sewn Adaptive is an educational platform for tailors and existing/new sewists to learn alteration techniques to make fashion more accessible. Home sewists and new sewists can learn alteration techniques they can do for themselves or for their loved ones with a few sewing notions.

Alex talks about using Velcro patches for button down shirts to assist people with dexterity challenges. He also emphasises the importance of using the right terminology like ‘upper limb difference’ to describe a hand that has fingers missing, as an example.

Lynn discusses how the adaptions they demonstrate on Instagram can be made by manufacturers and sewists alike.

Replacing buttons with Velcro patches and snaps are closures on like shirts and pants. Alex discusses how there are so many types of velcro fastenings and how easy they are to buy.

Proportional adaptation to fashion are features on Sewn Adaptive. Anyone can make these adaptions. The techniques are simple and you can make the right adaptions by finding out from the wearer what they want to achieve to make clothes fit them stylishly.

Making changes to clothes so they don’t look altered is what you’ll continue to see on Sewn Adaptive. People should be able to wear the brands they want to wear and not look like their clothes have been altered for them. Oscar (pictured above) wears his sweater that fits him perfectly now.

Lynn and Alex continue to add alteration ideas on Sewn Adaptive regularly for manufacturers and sewists to make fashion be more accessible. They also receive ideas from the community about the adaptions they use to make clothes fit either themselves or their loved ones.

Patching techniques are used reinforce jeans for less wear and tear by wearers who have a prosthesis. Patching options are shown on Sewn Adaptive.

Lynn and Alex discuss examples of adaptions for limbs that have varied widths as well as adaptions on trousers and tops for people who use wheelchairs.

Lynn discusses how they would like to work with sewing machine companies that have machines that are accessible. Alex discusses developing alteration accreditation for a more reliable alteration/adaptive experience.

Making alterations and clothing adaptions that make clothes look tailored for all people is the goal that Sewn Adaptive is teaching people one IG video at a time. It’s all about the comfort of the customers and giving everyone the ability to wear brand labels that suit their bodies.

TJ Lee

Tuesday10 January 2023: TJ Lee is a regular client of Sewn Adaptive – Lynn and Alex – and he’s given his time to talk about how the work that Lynn and Alex do keeps him wearing the clothes he loves.

As a sewist, we have the skills to tailor and tweak clothes for ourselves and our loved ones.

The work Lynn and Alex have been doing on Instagram that shows how they adapt clothing for people who need their clothes adapted is really appreciated by their clients. TJ is one of their regular clients and this is his story.

He was born and raised in California and TJ was in the dance scene and is now helping dancers with his OT skills. Being able to wear the fashion he wants to wear is made accessible for him through the tailoring Lynn and Alex do for him.

On Instagram there are so many great tutorials that we can access and learn from so we can make these adaptions for people in our communities too.

Here’s a link to the work that Stephanie Thomas does for disability style. This article tells the story of her work. Mindy from Gamut is the other reference TJ mentions for disability fashion.

Here’s a link to the jacket Alex and Lynn adapted a jacket TJ saw in New York. This adaption allows you to hang the jacket on you when you’re not wearing it. This is a great tutorial that any sewist can do!