From afar, it seemed like just a T-shirt – the simplest of clothing staples. But the OneTee took a year to come together.Designed by Elisa Lim, founder of adaptive fashion label Will and Well, the details on the garment are the combined wish-list of 20 people, most with disabilities or other conditions, such as visual impairment, muscular dystrophy, stroke, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and dwarfism.For many of them, even wearing a T-shirt could be difficult. So on a Saturday morning last year, they came together, some in their wheelchairs and with caregivers, to reinvent it.The wide head opening makes the T-shirt easier to slip on, even with physical limitations, brain tumours, or breathing and feeding tubes attached to the face. Waist slits keep the fabric from bunching up in a wheelchair. Extra fabric at the back covers bottoms fully while seated.The words “Project OneTee” are embossed in braille for the visually impaired. Three pop-its are sewn in to soothe anxiety.
Some who came that day had life-limiting conditions, said Lim. “They are well aware of their timeline, so when they choose to be here, you know that it means something to them,” she said quietly.Timothy Chan, who modelled the first edition of the T-shirt, had muscular dystrophy and died two days before CNA Women met Lim. She was heading to his wake after the interview.THE PEOPLE MAINSTREAM FASHION FORGETSMost clothing is not designed to be inclusive, said 32-year-old Lim. A dress with back zippers that you have to stretch to reach. A shirt with tiny buttons down the front and at the cuff. Pants that require balance to put one foot into at a time.For people living with disabilities or special needs, these can turn getting dressed into a daily obstacle.Indeed, Lim recalls how as a fashion student, she was approached by a doctor trained in geriatric medicine, who wanted to make clothes for his elderly and bedridden patients.This inspired her to found Will and Well in 2017, where she offers ready-to-wear clothes, as well as customisation and bespoke designs, available online and at HIVE @ Enabling Village, at 20 Lengkok Bahru.
