JAPAN TODAY


 

Fashion is a great tool of self-expression, but it’s not always accessible for people with disabilities, illnesses, and injuries.

Since a lot of clothes can be hard to put on when your mobility is limited, there are very few clothes available, and a lot of disabled people, especially in Japan, have a hard time finding clothing that’s easy to wear but also stylish.

That’s why former Uniqlo employee Teppei Maeda started clothing alterations service Kiyasuku, which translates as “easy to put on” or “easy to wear.”

After discussing clothing options for people with disabilities with a hearing-impaired coworker, Maeda decided to interview hundreds of people to learn more. That’s how he found out that the biggest fashion challenge for people with disabilities is that there just aren’t enough types of clothes they can wear.

So Maeda began to think about what he could do to help, and that’s how Kiyasuku, Japan’s first-ever online tailoring service specifically for individuals with disabilities, was born. The company offers to modify the parts of clothes that make them difficult to put on.

For example, they can alter T-shirts and sweatshirts so that they open up in the front, and remove zippers and buttons and replace them with velcro. They can work with all kinds of garments, from casual wear to outerwear. That’s a service that’s hard to find.

The order process is also extremely easy and all done online. Once you have an item of clothing you want to be altered, you access the website, indicate what alterations you want, and choose your tailor.

 

After a digital meeting with the tailor through the website, you send off your clothes via the post, and they’ll fix it up for you and send it back.

The staff at Kiyasuku are highly dedicated to the cause with an earnest desire to help people in need, so you can rest assured that your clothing will be well taken care of. One member is even the parent of a child with a disability, who learned to sew by altering clothes for their child.

Kiyasuku sounds like a great service that lets people wear clothes they want to wear, not just because it’s something they’ll be able to wear.

Want to wear the latest Pokemon graphic tees from UNIQLO, but can’t pull them over your head? Want to be comfy and stylish at home with hakama pajamas but find them tricky to get on? Or have you always wanted to go gothic lolita but never thought you could be able to put all the different pieces together? Kiyasuku can probably help.