Victoria’s Secret Creates First Adaptive Lingerie For Wearers With Disabilities

Photo 114533090 © Serhii Yevdokymov | Dreamstime.com

Victoria’s Secret is making amends for its troubled past by working on making every body feel sexy. After pushing up a bra that elevates the wearer’s natural shape, the label is now turning to the disabled community to lend them a confidence boost.

The intimates brand has designed its first line of inclusive bras and panties for women with physical or sensory needs, unveiling them for the first time at the disability-affirming Runway of Dreams fashion show at New York Fashion Week.

One of the star pieces in this collection is a bra that swaps out the hook-and-eye fastener—a feature that’s sometimes maddening even for abled wearers—with a magnetic opening at the front. Strong magnets enable users to wear the undergarment in one click.

The bra also has front-adjustable straps for a secure fit.

Video screenshot via Runway of Dreams

As a brand with a long history of struggling to uplift women as a whole, Victoria’s Secret had, admittedly, felt ill-equipped to meet the personalized requirements of those with disabilities, which is why it had held off the idea for a while. However, the company’s chief diversity officer Lydia Smith had met too many women who would come up asking for an adaptive bra, so it pushed on.

The adaptive line is the result of education from Gamut Talent Management—a consulting firm that has taught brands by the likes of Adidas and Tommy Hilfiger on how to create more representation for people with disabilities—multiple design meetings, research and development, and feedback from focus groups.

Bri Scalesse, a model from New York who uses a wheelchair, tells Fashionista that she loves the new bra, which makes her feel “comfortable and… sexy.” Since it looks just like other undergarments sold at Victoria’s Secret, Scalesse says she foresees herself wearing it as lingerie.

Smith says the brand knew it was heading toward the right direction when a man with cerebral palsy had shared that he could finally unhook his able-bodied wife’s bra during their moments of intimacy. “I remember being in tears,” she recounts.

The adapted series, coming to the Body by Victoria and PINK lines, will feature pieces for wearers with physical and sensory disabilities, including arthritis, autism, and cerebral palsy. Each item has received the Gamut Seal of Approval, validating its user-friendliness as assessed by disability experts.

Victoria’s Secret’s first adaptive intimates will head to about 40 select stores in October, in addition to its website.

[via Fashionista, Vogue Business, Disability Scoop, images via various sources]