Inclusion

Virtual fitting rooms promise easier clothing choices for people with physical disabilities, yet adaptation depends on more than technical access. Evidence from a large study shows that confidence, convenience, and enjoyment shape willingness to use these systems, reframing inclusive digital fashion as a question of experience, not novelty.

The ready-to-wear industry assumes vertical torsos, straight legs, and symmetrical weight distribution. Wheelchair users experience bunching, gaping, and constriction when seated for extended periods. Research published in 2024 identifies seated body geometry differences as the primary barrier to functional fit. Mainstream adaptive launches have proliferated, but most address closures, not core pattern engineering.

Clothing functions as daily infrastructure for participation, yet the garment industry treats adaptive design as specialty retail rather than access technology. Research published since 2022 documents how dressing barriers affect employment and social engagement for disabled people. The systematic evidence now exists to reframe adaptive apparel as essential infrastructure requiring outcome-based testing.

The developing adaptive clothing market is limited with garments that lack in design and functionality as also aesthetic, and online retail is neither user-friendly and nor does it have features that aid accessibility, says a research.