Alium Adaptive Apparel was founded in 2017 to address the growing need for better functioning clothes for seniors and their caregivers. They manufacturer soft, stretchy, and durable garments in the U.S.A. that hold up to the rigor of community use. Alium Adaptive Apparel creates garments that assist in minimizing skin abrasion, allow dignified access points for a caregiver to address issues such as incontinence and injury, and demonstrate through high-quality and stylish garments that the comfort of seniors is the top priority. Founder, Carla Macklin, has provided the following helpful charts and advice for individuals and caregivers affected by dementia, incontinence, stroke, and Parkinson's. Also, read our interview below about her inspiration behind Alium Adaptive Apparel.
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April 2018
Interview with Carla Macklin, Founder of Alium Adaptive Apparel
Where did you get the idea to start Alium Adaptive Apparel?
Alium was born after a great deal of soul-searching to find a purposeful way to apply my sewing and clothing design skills. Increasingly I’ve heard stories from friends about their troubles caring for their family members and where off-the-rack clothing has been undignified, inefficient, uncomfortable, and “old”. I thought simply, “I can do better!”
What is different about your garments?
The garments are designed to address a number of different issues of aging such as loss of mobility and dexterity, thinning of the skin, incontinence, reduction in circulation, among other things. Textiles are chosen for their warmth and softness and are sewn with flat interior seams to minimize abrasion to the skin, reducing the potential for bedsores and infections. Innovative textiles have beenutilized, such as the soft hook & loop that doesn’t require finger dexterity to open and close. Openings of the garments have been constructed to provide alternate ways for a caregiver to access the body without disturbing the care receiver’s dignity. For example, a catheter need not be disturbed when changing pants and the nightgown need not be entirely removed or shifted up to check how a wound is healing. But in the end it’s about style and each garment must pass the “does it look good” test. Research shows it’s important to an individual’s mental and physical wellbeing to be dressed for the day in garments they feel comfortable in. We respect that principle in our garments.
What is your design process?
The designs start with research. We have interviewed scores of caregivers (medica, professional and family caregivers) about the challenges they face with their care receiver and the clothing options they have use. From there ideas are generated to address these challenges and get incorporated into garments during the prototyping phase. During prototyping, a garment gets sewn dozens of times for wear testing and trials on real bodies. When we finally feel like it is ready for market, a small production is run. Keeping production small allows us to continue to iterate products based on real customer feedback and we are always looking for customer’s thoughts on how to make our garments better.
What is the future of Alium Adaptive Apparel?
We are positioning Alium to be the innovation leader in caregiving garments. We are devoting a lot of effort to understand the advancements in antimicrobial, anti-odor, moisture wicking, heat-conserving, and anti-abrasion textiles and plan to incorporate these technologies into future designs. We also plan to expand offerings into menswear and provide a larger range of sizes. Our goal in five years is to have a portfolio of garments that can help a wider variety of individuals and their needs.
Interview with Carla Macklin, Founder of Alium Adaptive Apparel
Where did you get the idea to start Alium Adaptive Apparel?
Alium was born after a great deal of soul-searching to find a purposeful way to apply my sewing and clothing design skills. Increasingly I’ve heard stories from friends about their troubles caring for their family members and where off-the-rack clothing has been undignified, inefficient, uncomfortable, and “old”. I thought simply, “I can do better!”
What is different about your garments?
The garments are designed to address a number of different issues of aging such as loss of mobility and dexterity, thinning of the skin, incontinence, reduction in circulation, among other things. Textiles are chosen for their warmth and softness and are sewn with flat interior seams to minimize abrasion to the skin, reducing the potential for bedsores and infections. Innovative textiles have beenutilized, such as the soft hook & loop that doesn’t require finger dexterity to open and close. Openings of the garments have been constructed to provide alternate ways for a caregiver to access the body without disturbing the care receiver’s dignity. For example, a catheter need not be disturbed when changing pants and the nightgown need not be entirely removed or shifted up to check how a wound is healing. But in the end it’s about style and each garment must pass the “does it look good” test. Research shows it’s important to an individual’s mental and physical wellbeing to be dressed for the day in garments they feel comfortable in. We respect that principle in our garments.
What is your design process?
The designs start with research. We have interviewed scores of caregivers (medica, professional and family caregivers) about the challenges they face with their care receiver and the clothing options they have use. From there ideas are generated to address these challenges and get incorporated into garments during the prototyping phase. During prototyping, a garment gets sewn dozens of times for wear testing and trials on real bodies. When we finally feel like it is ready for market, a small production is run. Keeping production small allows us to continue to iterate products based on real customer feedback and we are always looking for customer’s thoughts on how to make our garments better.
What is the future of Alium Adaptive Apparel?
We are positioning Alium to be the innovation leader in caregiving garments. We are devoting a lot of effort to understand the advancements in antimicrobial, anti-odor, moisture wicking, heat-conserving, and anti-abrasion textiles and plan to incorporate these technologies into future designs. We also plan to expand offerings into menswear and provide a larger range of sizes. Our goal in five years is to have a portfolio of garments that can help a wider variety of individuals and their needs.
