It’s a go-to shop for cheap knickers and designer dupes, but now Primark hopes to become the top destination for clothing designed for those with a range of disabilities.
In a first for the budget high street shop, it is releasing a 49-piece line of womenswear and menswear, adapted from its bestselling items to suit a range of needs.
Designed in collaboration with Victoria Jenkins, a disabled fashion designer and founder of the brand Unhidden, it follows the release of a so-called “adaptive” underwear range last year.
Among the most wanted items is a cropped beige trenchcoat that can be put on or taken off while seated. It was a particular hit among wheelchair users at a preview of the range on Monday.
“This has taken years of campaigning,” Jenkins said. “I didn’t think we’d see adapted fashion on the high street in my lifetime.” She said she hoped the launch would have a knock on effect among bigger brands.
Notable features in the range include magnetic zips for easy fastening on trousers; hidden access points for stomas, insulin pumps or other medical equipment; and cropped cut jumpers that ensure clothes fit better on seated wearers. It also includes ultra-soft pyjamas, loungewear, formal shirts and trousers with hidden elastic waistbands.
Deciding which pieces to adapt was difficult, Jenkins said. “We chose things that we could sell the adapted version at basically the same price as the non-adapted one. That was really important, the affordability.”
Prices start from £5 for T-shirts with an adjustable neckline while jeans in seated and standing versions are £14. Also expected to sell well are men’s cargo pants (£22) – “a bit 90s grunge, very on trend”, Jenkins said, and a little black dress (£26).
Eliza Rain, a disabled activist and fashion vlogger, said it was an exciting time in the adaptive clothing space. “Disabled people deserve to look and feel good, and they deserve to be able to buy their clothes in regular stores at a regular price,” Rain said.
The decision to launch the range came from the success of Primark’s accessible lingerie, which has been available since January 2024. Shortly afterwards, the brand conducted research showing 75% of those surveyed found it difficult to get accessible clothing, seven out of 10 said they spend more on clothing while 80% felt excluded from buying fashionable clothes.
Adaptive fashion is still rare on the high street. Marks & Spencer has a range for kids, as well as post-surgery bras and underwear for people with stomas. Elsewhere, specialist adaptive brands are growing, but their clothes tend to be expensive.
Charlie Magadah-Williams, Primark’s head of diversity and inclusion, said the range was having a “ripple effect”, adding: “We’re already thinking about what’s next.”
The clothes will be available in stores from 28 January.