This week’s good news focuses on inclusive clothing line.

 Nikki Puzzo and Joanne DiCamillo make clothing adaptable for kids with disabilities which is inspired by Puzzo’s daughter, Stella. Stella was born with spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy, which affects her posture and her ability to move.  Quadriplegia is very severe and requires lifelong treatment and support. When she was five years old she had a double hip surgery and had a cast on both legs and a bar between them. 

Because of this she couldn’t wear regular pants so her mom decided to make some that would fit Stella. She used two pairs of pajamas and tore them at the seams and sewed Velcro which was a small change but made a big impact for Stella. When she took her daughter to the doctor, her doctor was very impressed and brought up the idea that she should make more for parents who didn’t know what to dress their children in. 

Later on, they decided to create a business called BeFree and launched it in 2022. They went from using Velcro to zippers and to using better materials and worked with medical experts. They said, “We wanted people to dress with less stress.” They did end up raising money from the business but it was mostly self-funded. BeFree’s goal is to make clothing adaptable for everyone. They want to make leggings, jeans, and so much more clothes. Even though other companies sell adaptive clothing they hope that their business will become mainstream and hopes for their clothes to sell at any local store.