What is sensory friendly clothing?
There are so many people who need sensory friendly clothing. Whether you are sensory sensitive, have chronic pain, are postpartum, or simply value comfort in your clothing, comfort wear could be a good option for you.
We can all benefit from clothing made specifically for comfort!
Sensory sensitive:
Sensory sensitivity happens when our clothing causes sensory overload. This looks a little different for everyone, but those whose sense of touch is heightened often find difficulty wearing clothing with scratchy seams, zippers, elastic, or are too restrictive with not enough freedom to move.
This often affects autistic children and adults, those with ADHD, but it is also common in many other cases. It is also very possible to have sensory sensitivity and not be Neuro-diverse.
Chronic Pain:
Many people experience pain on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. When living with chronic pain, pressure to that area is intolerable. Those living with Auto-immune disease often have severe abdominal pain and swelling, making normal pant waistbands extremely uncomfortable. Even elastic waistbands can cause too much pressure. It is important to find clothing that will not add pressure to sensitive areas, but also has enough stretch and recovery to move and change with your body.
Postpartum:
Many women in the first year or two after their babies are born report being more sensitive to their clothing. Our senses actually heighten when we have babies! Apart from that, having a baby means that our bodies change. We are often stuck in that awkward stage where our maternity clothing no longer fits, but our pre-pregnancy clothing also don't fit (and may never!). Instead of trying to change ourselves back to what we once were, lets wear clothing that supports our needs and be proud of what our bodies have accomplished! Our bodies need soft, non restricting clothing to be able to change and move with us as we valiantly enter this new season.
A lot of my clothing can be worn throughout pregnancy as well!
What do we do to make our clothing sensory friendly?
There are so many details that I do as a seamstress to ensure the clothing you buy will be your most comfortable, but here are the main ones:
Tagless labels: All my labels are stamped on- which means you won't feel a thing!
4-way stretch fabric: That means that there is vertical and horizontal stretch of at least 50% in all of my clothing. This means that the clothing will not be restrictive or feel "tight" in an uncomfortable way.
Spandex content: a small amount of spandex means that clothing will not lose its shape or stretch out. Clothing that stretches out gapes and scrunches in uncomfortable ways. All my clothing retains its shape.
Fabric type: I work hard to provide good quality, soft fabric! Bamboo, cotton, spandex is one of my favourites to use because it is natural, breaths really well, eco friendly, light and extremely soft. You really can't go wrong with bamboo. The cotton spandex I use is the softest I have ever felt, and I have spent years testing different options. Higher quality means that the colour stays vibrant, it doesn't pill and it lasts so much longer than store bought clothing.
Sewing technique: I use softer thread, smaller seams and flatten seams in sensitive areas. I also choose styles that have minimal seams, no extra buckles or zippers and doesn't restrict in known sensitive areas (like armpits, or abdomen).
There is so much more that goes into each item, but that's the basics! I am more than happy to do custom requests if you need even more measures taken to ensure your comfort. I want you to be comfortable and find freedom in your clothing!
We can all benefit from clothing made specifically for comfort!
Sensory sensitive:
Sensory sensitivity happens when our clothing causes sensory overload. This looks a little different for everyone, but those whose sense of touch is heightened often find difficulty wearing clothing with scratchy seams, zippers, elastic, or are too restrictive with not enough freedom to move.
This often affects autistic children and adults, those with ADHD, but it is also common in many other cases. It is also very possible to have sensory sensitivity and not be Neuro-diverse.
Chronic Pain:
Many people experience pain on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. When living with chronic pain, pressure to that area is intolerable. Those living with Auto-immune disease often have severe abdominal pain and swelling, making normal pant waistbands extremely uncomfortable. Even elastic waistbands can cause too much pressure. It is important to find clothing that will not add pressure to sensitive areas, but also has enough stretch and recovery to move and change with your body.
Postpartum:
Many women in the first year or two after their babies are born report being more sensitive to their clothing. Our senses actually heighten when we have babies! Apart from that, having a baby means that our bodies change. We are often stuck in that awkward stage where our maternity clothing no longer fits, but our pre-pregnancy clothing also don't fit (and may never!). Instead of trying to change ourselves back to what we once were, lets wear clothing that supports our needs and be proud of what our bodies have accomplished! Our bodies need soft, non restricting clothing to be able to change and move with us as we valiantly enter this new season.
A lot of my clothing can be worn throughout pregnancy as well!
What do we do to make our clothing sensory friendly?
There are so many details that I do as a seamstress to ensure the clothing you buy will be your most comfortable, but here are the main ones:
Tagless labels: All my labels are stamped on- which means you won't feel a thing!
4-way stretch fabric: That means that there is vertical and horizontal stretch of at least 50% in all of my clothing. This means that the clothing will not be restrictive or feel "tight" in an uncomfortable way.
Spandex content: a small amount of spandex means that clothing will not lose its shape or stretch out. Clothing that stretches out gapes and scrunches in uncomfortable ways. All my clothing retains its shape.
Fabric type: I work hard to provide good quality, soft fabric! Bamboo, cotton, spandex is one of my favourites to use because it is natural, breaths really well, eco friendly, light and extremely soft. You really can't go wrong with bamboo. The cotton spandex I use is the softest I have ever felt, and I have spent years testing different options. Higher quality means that the colour stays vibrant, it doesn't pill and it lasts so much longer than store bought clothing.
Sewing technique: I use softer thread, smaller seams and flatten seams in sensitive areas. I also choose styles that have minimal seams, no extra buckles or zippers and doesn't restrict in known sensitive areas (like armpits, or abdomen).
There is so much more that goes into each item, but that's the basics! I am more than happy to do custom requests if you need even more measures taken to ensure your comfort. I want you to be comfortable and find freedom in your clothing!