Now having looked into campaigns that have included or been aimed at the older generation and also looking at influencers who are over the age of 50, I have been interested at researching clothing for old people that can’t or struggle to wear clothing that is currently sold in shops at all. For the last three years, I have been one of the sole carers for my grandfather who is 86. He has a number of different problems one of which is water retention in his legs, this makes putting trousers on and taking them off incredibly difficult as he can’t really put them on himself and the trousers that fit his waist correctly won’t go over his legs, meaning he has to spend a lot of time in shorts which he hates and now that winter is approaching is going to be impossible. I was researching if any trousers exist that could help him and unfortunately they do not, this lead me to look into if there is any kind of adaptable clothing for older people out there. After some research, I found two companies that specialise in adaptable clothing for the elderly.
Buck and Buck
Buck and Buck is an American online retailer that has been around since 1978. They have a bright and easy to use website, they offer clothing for elderly people who maybe need a little help with dressing or need someone else to dress them completely. One of the things I liked the most about Buck and Buck is that they have a shop by need section which lists all the different conditions that could mean you would have trouble dressing. One of the items that I liked the most was the Velcro Trousers, they look like chinos but have velcro instead of where you would have a zipper and button this making it so much easier for the wearer to dress and undress unassisted, what also adds to the appeal of there trousers is that Buck and Buck will hem the trousers for you free of charge as well, which is perfect as most old people wouldn’t be able to maybe go out and get this done easily. I have attached screenshots and a video below that show these pants being demonstrated. Buck and Buck do have a good social media presence with regular uploaded videos on youtube which show how the products work, they also have a facebook page which in the modern world is essental for businesses to have.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pldbUnwzTJc
Silvert’s
The second brand I found was called Silvert’s, this was again an American Brand similar to Buck and Buck and it also sells very similar clothing. Silvert’s also has a shop by need section on its website and also uses the same techniques in there clothing to make them adaptable velcro, magnets and poppers. I don’t think the website is as nice as Buck and Buck and it is more difficult to use, also there illustrates are harder to understand as some of the products I don’t even understand how it been adapted as they just put dots on things. But I do think the idea is good and the clothing is probably good quality, it’s just the website looks unwelcoming and old fashioned. Silvert’s also had no social media presence at all that I think it could really do with to get into the twenty-first century I have put screenshots of the website below for you to see.
I really like the idea that Buck and Buck and Silvert’s have about adaptable clothing for the elderly, I just think they’re not marketed in the correct way. Adaptable clothing was really hard to find and I didn’t find one company in the UK that provides this kind of clothing which would mean you would have to ship them from America which would take ages and cost a fortune. These brands are very American and really target the American fashion as I don’t think a lot of this clothing in these styles would sell in the Uk. I believe that old people regardless of if they are unwell or not want to look nice just like young people do, and I see from my Grandad how distressed he gets when he feels he looks unsmart, I think this is a huge problem that should be addressed as just because you get older you shouldn’t be expected to lose your own sense of style and identity.