Kohl’s introduces adaptive apparel to its three largest kids’ brands, bringing sensory-friendly and adaptive clothing options to Jumping Beans, SO and Urban Pipeline.
Kohl’s is committed to families –– all families, with all kinds of needs. Delivering on our purpose to empower these families, Kohl’s is excited to introduce adaptive clothing to our three largest, private-label kids’ brands, including Jumping Beans, SO and Urban Pipeline, offering customers adaptive options from baby all the way to juniors and young men available now on Kohls.com.
With features including abdominal access and sensory-friendly and wheelchair-friendly options, the new adaptive clothing is thoughtfully designed, making stylish, quality apparel accessible to all. It recognizes the unique needs of Kohl’s customers, offering the same inclusive fabrics, styles, graphics, and shopping experience that makes their everyday realities a little easier and more rewarding.
Want to learn more? We connected with a few members of the product development teams who brought this adaptive apparel to life.
A Personal Connection
Kohl’s is continuously evolving its brand portfolio to better serve our customers. Once the idea of adaptive clothing was introduced, Kohl’s associates were eager to bring it to life, including one technical designer who was instrumental in gathering the needed resources and support for the project. Judy Koepsel, technical design manager for kids, is the mother of a three-year-old daughter with unique developmental and sensory needs. As someone who’s personally experienced some of the daily dressing challenges these types of needs bring, she felt she could contribute her point of view and connect with others who have similar needs.
“It really gained steam after Judy got wind of it,” shared Stephanie Curtis, associate product manager for girls sportswear. “When the product design team introduced the idea to our partners, everyone felt a personal connection to this cause. It’s a heartstring project, and enthusiasm to make it happen was really easy to come by.”
Finding the Perfect Fit
For all of Kohl’s apparel, offering our customers the right styles and fits is important. However, designing adaptive apparel brought new considerations for our talented team who wanted to be sure they got it right. Judy helped form a group of Kohl’s associate parents whose families include someone with a disability or complex medical needs. Members of Kohl’s product development and technical design teams worked to understand the unique needs of each family and create beneficial products that could make life easier by offering both quality and functionality –– whether that meant accounting for a diaper in all size ranges, designing for comfort and functionality while seated in a wheelchair, creating strategically placed access to abdominal openings for medical ports and gastronomy feeding tubes, or focusing on easy dressing for both the user and caregiver.
“We aligned on what needed to be considered when fitting, such as how a pant fits when sitting down, could the pockets still be used, is the shirt long enough to cover in the back, and so forth. Everyone involved was extremely thoughtful as to how the product would be used,” said Judy. “I was truly impressed by the level of dedication and thoughtfulness the team put into this project.”
Special consideration was also taken to ensure the adaptive product was as inclusive as possible, with styles and designs that mirrored those of its counterparts. “Just because we are creating clothing for unique needs doesn’t mean that it needs to be basic,” said Kara Smoltich, associate product manager for Jumping Beans. “We have made every effort to ensure that the product looks as close to our core line as possible. Everything from graphic artwork to pocket detail is reflective of the brand.”
Instilling Confidence
As the adaptive apparel came to life, the many teams who collaborated on the project were eager to ensure it would not only service the needs of the customer but also inspire confidence in the children who wear it. And so far that seems to be the case. After recently seeing footage of children wearing the product for marketing purposes, Stephanie was overwhelmed with joy at the response. However, she’s excited to hear customer feedback and spark dialogue about adaptive needs. “Engagement is going to be really key, and we’re all so excited for that response and the dialogue that comes next,” she said.
To shop Kohl’s new adaptive clothing options, visit Kohls.com. For more details on Kohl’s commitment to family health and wellness, visit Corporate.Kohls.com.
Source: Kohl’s Launches Adaptive Clothing Across Top Kids Brands
