Charlotte coory
Aka: hello yello clothing mission: accessible clothing
When Charlotte Coory went searching for pyjamas that could accommodate her late sister’s medical equipment, she was surprised at how difficult it was to find something suitable. After all, wasn’t everything available on the internet? “My sister was diagnosed with a terminal cancer, and as she became more ill, she had various tubes and lines for feeding and pain relief,” Charlotte explains. “She wanted pyjamas that wouldn’t pull on the tubes and that were easy to put on independently.” In the end, it took her months to find something appropriate.
Until she went looking herself, it had never occurred to Charlotte how underserviced the accessible fashion market was, especially in Australia. With the encouragement of her sister, Charlotte (who is a family lawyer by day) opened up her online store Hello Yello in 2018, providing stylish, inclusive clothing. All garments on the site have adaptive features, like velcro fastenings that cater to people whose movement may be restricted. Other pieces accommodate catheters or are sensory friendly, meaning the fabric, seams and tags don’t irritate the wearer.
When it comes down to choosing what to stock, for Charlotte, style is just as important as function. “I want pieces that have colour and prints,” she says. “There’s this old-fashioned attitude that people with disabilities have much more to worry about than fashion. But we know that the way we dress affects the way we feel. It’s important to be able to express yourself.”
Since launching the store, Charlotte’s come to realise how exclusive mainstream brands can be. “It’s all linked to the invisibility of people with disabilities and their history of not being represented in the media,” she says. “Fashion designers are not designing for the people they don’t see.” Things are changing, though. With the help of social media, there’s a rumbling movement to make fashion more inclusive. It’s prompted Charlotte to jump on Instagram and Facebook – platforms she previously avoided – to get educated about ableism and the history of disability activism, and to meet other advocates and activists in the space.
It’s inspired her to create a sense of community around Hello Yello, too. “For me, it’s much more than a shop,” she says. “I want people to be able to share clothing hacks and information on our Facebook page, or find other people to put in combined orders with.”
With only a small selection of clothing available so far, Charlotte knows Hello Yello isn’t a one-stop shop just yet. So, until she grows her inventory, she’s happy to point people in the right direction, regularly blogging about where else to find garments for specific needs. Charlotte also runs a pre-loved program where people can donate secondhand adaptive clothing – she then distributes it for free via hospitals and community groups. The idea began after a conversation with a friend whose child has a sensory processing disorder. “She’d spent a lot of time looking for clothing her child could tolerate, and when he grew out of it, she didn’t know what to do with it. I felt I could find people who really needed it.”
The next step for Hello Yello is to get out to more events, including fashion shows. Charlotte wants to see able-bodied people embracing inclusive fashion, too. She references local brand Modibodi, which began specifically to address incontinence, and later found a broader application as period underwear. “It’s great when it gets brought into the mainstream,” Charlotte says. “All the clothes in my shop can be worn by anyone, because inclusive design is not just good for people with disabilities. There are advantages for everyone.”