SWAMPSCOTT, MASS. (WHDH) – Two mothers in Massachusetts are on a mission, starting their own adaptive clothing company, for people with disabilities and those recovering from injuries or surgeries.
Called “befree,” the company is based in Swampscott. Co-founders Nikki Puzzo and Joane DiCamillo recently spoke to 7NEWS.
“We like to say ‘Dress with less stress,’ because we want everyone to not be stressed about the basic tasks that people can take for granted when getting dressed,” DiCamillo said.
Puzzo said the idea for the company came from the experience of trying to dress her youngest daughter, Stella.
Stella was born with spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy and underwent a double-hip surgery at the age of five.
For three months, Stella had to wear casts on both her legs with a bar in between, making the process of putting on pants extremely difficult.
“They were like ‘Well a lot of families just do dresses, t-shirts, and blankets,’” Puzzo said.
That’s when Puzzo and DiCamillo’s idea for making adaptive clothing was born.
“We were like ‘This doesn’t exist. We need to make this happen,’” DiCamillo said.
DiCamillo said she and Puzzo didn’t have much fashion experience. Her mother, though, is a talented seamstress. So, they got to work.
“We did so much trial and error,” DiCamillo said. “We went from velcro, to snaps, to snap tape and finally realized that zippers were the most functional and they look the best.”
“I know first hand how it changes Stella’s life, so it keeps me motivated all the time because of that goal,” Puzzo said.
The pair said they’re working on extending their line to include adaptive shorts, leggings and joggers.
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