Palta: More than just fashion, helping people with disabilities feel seen

By Chava Kuchar

There is a life force in us all, a fact that should not only be recognized, but respected. However, for many black people or people of color, gender, sexual-orientation or those with a disability, this is not fact. They would be satisfied merely to be seen, let alone have their needs recognized.

Palta, a new inclusive fashion design house and fashion brand consultancy, is here to ensure that fashion is at the forefront of the change we need to see in society for people with disabilities. In short, they plan to use fashion design to create “a common language and a symbol for all people” because everyone deserves to be seen and feel good and comfortable in their own body.

The uniform for the Israeli Paralympic Delegation to the Tokyo games 2021

In addition to their existing accessible for all collection, Palta has a newly released capsule uniform for the Israeli Paralympic Delegation to the Tokyo Games 2021. They are also working hand in hand with many international brands designing and manufacturers to create more inclusive products to meet the needs of the world's most diverse minority- an estimated 1 billion people with disabilities.

It started with Shay Senior, the founder of Palta, when he suffered an injury during his military service, which led to needing hand and wrist surgery. During this time, faced with the challenges of coping with seemingly small and mundane daily duties he had earlier taken for granted, he saw first-hand the difficulty and distance between people with disabilities and the rest of society. "Different brands were doing adaptive clothing, but we have arrived at the fashion tech business from paying attention to our own experiences," says Shay. Shay remembers feeling judged when he joined a meeting with an unbuttoned polo once, to add insult to injury, literally, since he could no longer fasten the buttons independently.

Today, more than a billion individuals live with some form of disability. Through their designs, Palta has endeavoured to ensure all can benefit from the power of fashion and self-expression. The team behind Palta continues to explain that "in a world in which human diversity is not celebrated but threatened, inclusive fashion design more directly states a commitment not only to acknowledge but celebrate diversity.

After some extensive research, Shay realized something more than the clothes themselves were missing. Shortly after conceiving a greater need for inclusive design, Shay met Netanel Yehuda Halevi, a social activist and copywriter born with muscular dystrophy. They immediately clicked, and Netanel soon joined the growing Palta team.

Palta’s design team, Shay Senior, Palta CEO and co-founder, second from right, Netanel Yehuda Halevi, Palta co-founder, center, third from left.

To create what Shay and Netanel considered the "ultimate fashion solution", they started their international research. Creating questionnaires in multiple languages, surveying and interviewing thousands of transnational subjects, they started collating various personal experiences, traumas and personal desires. In order to serve them best, Shay and Netanel wanted to understand the culture and buying attitudes of many different individuals. The Palta team soon accumulated what would be the bare basics of an inclusive wardrobe of their dreams.

Palta’s debut fashion show, Tel Aviv, 2018

In late 2018 in Tel Aviv, I was privileged to be present for Palta’s debut show at an ethical and sustainable fashion festival. To say that this article has been a long time in the making is an understatement, and this young design house needs all the attention that it can get. Since launching, social media has helped to drive an understanding of consumer needs further. There has been a notable increase of accounts in the last couple of years that have propelled diverse body types into the mainstream, helping to empower people with disabilities to ask for clothing that works for them. The searches for adaptive clothing saw an increase of 80% over the last year.

Palta’s inclusive design ranges from braille tags to digital (QRCODE) labels to a chatbot service, and 3D printed braille catalogue, smart fabrics, and multifunctional clothes. Through the design process, “we have discovered (and utilized) many existing technologies and elements that were not used for people with disabilities or thought to fit their daily needs”. Inclusivity is about creating inclusive technology and diverse sizes and style and creating an accessible service and an affordable price point. While there are adaptive brands that will customize garments for their customer's individual needs, many customers reported that the cost of those clothes is more than what they can afford.

So rather than reinvent the wheel, Palta set out to adapt what already existed— creating the first web platform that offers consultancy services to fashion brands to work to become inclusive towards people with disabilities. Shay further explains that “we have designed a system to evaluate, expose, and offer these companies the next steps towards inclusivity. As a result, we manage a brand directory where the users can find the leading inclusive fashion brands... Our mission is for more brands to join the Palta movement, so we can all work together in reducing the existing gap in the fashion world.”

To ensure this systemic change happens, Palta offers an Inclusive Design Certification for fashion brands that design to their predefined criteria, ensuring that brands and their directors become aware of different disabilities and the various needs of the disabled consumer. After attaining this education, the brand can sell its products to 486 million+ disabled people who need to be fulfilled by the existing market. They also send out a monthly newsletter to update their community on any new developments or innovations in the inclusive fashion market, making sure they amplify brands that have been certified.

Through services such as this, Palta hopes to continue raising awareness and enact impactful change in the industry. Perhaps, one day soon, we will see Palta’s impact at a fashion student level. Wherefrom day one, the culture-conscious and youthful idealism of the new generation of designer casts a wider net than those that came before- continuing to drive an inclusive fashion industry accessible for all.

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To shop Palta or register for their newsletter, check their website or follow them on intsagram