Close your eyes and imagine getting yourself dressed — putting your shirt on, pulling up your pants, buttoning the buttons, and zippering the zippers. Now, imagine that you can’t do these things — you can’t put your shirt on because your arms won’t let you; you can’t pull up your pants, button your buttons, or zip your zippers. You can’t get yourself clothed.
While many of us take simple acts, like getting dressed for the day, for granted, women living with chronic illness often face daily struggles that make this routine task far more complex. In fact, statistics show that nearly 40% of women living in the United States struggle with chronic illness. Yet, their unique clothing needs remain largely overlooked and underserved by the fashion industry.
In some ways, this challenge might be even greater than for individuals with visible disabilities because chronic illness is often subtle or invisible, making these needs easier to ignore.
To shed light on this community’s overlooked clothing needs, in summer 2025, we interviewed eight women with chronic illnesses, aged 18 to 65, living in the US, and then conducted a thematic analysis of the interview transcripts. The findings offer critical, firsthand insights into the challenges women with chronic illnesses face when selecting and wearing clothing, the clothing features they value most, and the gaps in clothing offerings they perceive in the current retail market.
Unique challenges in finding suitable fashion for chronic illness consumers
First, women with chronic illnesses often experience unique medical conditions and ongoing symptoms that present distinct challenges when it comes to wearing fashion. These symptoms — such as chronic pain, limited mobility, fatigue, and difficulty regulating body temperature — differ from those typically associated with physical disabilities.
For example, interviewee #1 faced mobility issues, which made it challenging to dress easily, “So I have osteoarthritis in my shoulders now, and so I have a limited range of motion…So, taking stuff over when I'm really tired, my mum has to, at the end of the day, help me get my hoodie off and my shirt.” Similarly, Interviewee #2 explained the unpredictable pain she struggled with while dressing due to chronic illness, “I feel like for my symptoms, it's like…stomach pains, gas, sometimes I get abdominal pain and heartburn.”
Meanwhile, interviewee #8 elaborated on her sensitive skin issue, which has made many regular clothing items in the market unfit for her, “I am very sensitive with my skin. I talked a little bit about the stretch marks that I have, and that plays a huge role.” Interviewee #4 revealed her thermo-regulation issue by noting, “because of my dysautonomy, I do have thermoregulation issues, like, I can't thermoregulate, and so I have to be able to layer.”
Second, unlike the clothing needs of people with disabilities, women with chronic illnesses often struggle not with the functionality of clothing, but with issues related to fit — such as needing larger sizes than what is typically designed for them and avoiding garments that are tight or restrictive.
Interviewee #8 shed light on sizing issues she faced while shopping for clothing, stating: “Because of the size range that I need, it just makes it harder (to find), especially (shopping at physical stores) in person.” Interviewee #3 intentionally chooses “unfit” sizing due to her chronic medical condition, “For the longest, I was buying shirts that were 2 or 3 sizes bigger than me because of my feeding tube… I prefer something that's not necessarily super tight on the skin.”
Third, and perhaps most uniquely, women with chronic illnesses experience fluctuating and unpredictable symptoms, which cause their clothing needs to change over time and require solutions that differ from traditional “adaptive clothing” to accommodate these evolving needs.
Specifically, interviewee #1 highlighted the unpredictable and shifting symptoms of her chronic illness and how it caused her clothing needs to change constantly: “In my health, like day to day, it is so different… So random symptoms will cause a change in behaviour with my clothes that I wasn't even expecting.”
Meanwhile, interviewee #7 faced weight fluctuation challenges. She explained: “My weight fluctuates with hormones, so… that's tough as I have a lot of really cute pants, and I wear them twice, and I'm like, they're not gonna work for me anymore.”
Women with chronic illnesses have specific and multifaceted clothing needs
The interviews revealed that women with chronic illnesses often prefer clothing that promotes “functional ease,” such as garments without zippers or buttons, to simplify their dressing. While specific needs may vary based on the type and severity of the illness or the use of medical devices, many share similar challenges —regardless of the underlying cause of their chronic condition or diagnosis.
For example, interviewee #1 emphasised the importance of clothing that allows for ease of dressing, noting a preference for garments without fasteners by saying, “Yeah, I definitely don't do any buttons. I prefer hoodies. So without a zipper, zippers are (hard), I have joint pain and joint problems. So definitely try to avoid the zipper.”
While interviewee #6 struggled with a type of chronic illness that was entirely different from Interviewee #1’s condition, she also emphasised the need for clothing that is easy to take off, stating: “Sometimes it was awkward…if the loungy pants for it to make sure it's easy to come off.” Additionally, interviewee #3 explained the specific dressing challenges posed by the medical device used to treat her medical conditions, saying, “If I'm getting my port access today, I try to wear something that is not where I have to completely get naked.”
On the other hand, fabric feel and comfort are essential for women with chronic illnesses, especially those experiencing pain, fatigue, or sensory sensitivity. Soft, breathable, and non-irritating materials are often preferred.
For example, interviewee #8 underscored the need for soft materials used for clothing, explaining, “I like soft material clothes. I have some shirts that are, like, buttery soft. I don't know another word to use. They are kind of… they feel like PJs, but they actually aren't.” Meanwhile, interviewee #3 highlighted her need for breathability by saying, “Clothes that breathe would be awesome too, because, let's just say, like, you have a central line, I have a central line…It's not good for you to sweat.”
However, despite the importance of fabrics, the interview revealed that women with chronic illness, like other consumers, often lack the knowledge to assess fabric properties effectively. Instead, they rely on perceptions, such as assuming natural fibres provide more comfort than man-made ones. Their heavier reliance on online shopping, due to mobility challenges, sometimes makes it even harder to evaluate and select clothing with fabrics that truly meet their needs. As interviewee #1 noted, “So I needed to find some shorts. In fact, I still need to find some shorts, but it is hard because I don't really want to go into stores. I'm immunocompromised. Like I have to wear a mask everywhere I go.”
Moreover, women with chronic illnesses seek clothing that balances functionality with style and aesthetics. Many view clothing as a crucial means of feeling confident and expressive, enabling them to participate in a normal social life like others.
For example, interviewee #8 explained why clothes and her confidence were closely connected, stating: “Somebody close to me always said, when you feel good in what you're wearing, you're going to have a better day. And if that (doesn’t) just mean mentally. It could mean physically, usually mentally for me, if I feel good in what I'm wearing, I feel more confident, I feel more self-love, I feel more put together, feel more of a human.”
Interviewee #4 echoed this adding: “If you feel good, that's you feeling like you look good, almost, and then you'll exude that confidence and that joy that you know, the clothes can bring you… it's also, like, our way to belong, our way to be ourselves. Like, it's a self-expression” She also emphasised the importance of the aesthetics of clothing, “And, you know, as a 20-year-old… I don't want to be wearing, like, an elderly bra.”
Additionally, women with chronic illnesses care deeply about the affordability of clothing that meets their needs. For example, interviewee #4 reminded us about the importance of affordable fashion, saying, “people with chronic illness need affordable fashion, not just that it's available.” Interviewee #3 shared the same concern and referred to some “specialised” functional clothing in the market as beyond affordability, “But it's so expensive. And if people can't… afford to help themselves. That's just not… that's not fair, you know?”
Women with chronic illnesses seek more opportunities to discuss these needs openly
Beyond the specific physical clothing features, it was evident from the interviews that women with chronic illnesses seek greater recognition of their unique clothing needs from fashion brands, retailers, and society as a whole.
For example, interviewee #7 admitted that, before joining this study, she never had the chance to discuss her chronic illness clothing needs, “I think if you're not going through it, it's hard to understand (our clothing needs). But also, I think, especially… Again, I can only speak for endometriosis, but that being more of a women's issue. Like, I don't think we're given the space to really speak about that honestly.”
Likewise, interviewee #6 expressed concern about the disconnect between products offered by mainstream retailers and the actual needs of women with chronic illness, “They’re (fashion companies) just producing clothes, and then these chronically ill women are figuring it out from there, what will work for them.”
Even more critical, the study revealed a lack of community for women with chronic illness to share their clothing needs and receive constant social support. As interviewee #2 noted: “Before our conversation this evening…No, we do not have any opportunity to really discuss this topic.” As interviewee #7 further reminded us, it can be even more challenging to encourage women with chronic illnesses to discuss clothing needs related to sensitive women’s issues publicly, “Um, so I think part of it is, like… and especially talking about your period. I was so ashamed of that for so long that I wasn’t going to talk about it.”
Clothing must build more inclusivity and embrace female consumers with chronic illness
Ultimately, the study underscored the importance of fostering a more inclusive fashion industry that can better cater to the needs of women with chronic illnesses. We also need fashion brands, policymakers, academia, and the broader public to engage more actively with this significant but often overlooked community and to promote greater inclusiveness within the fashion industry and beyond.
As interviewee #4 highlighted, “There are so many opportunities for the fashion world to do better—for everyone, but especially for those with chronic illnesses. Visible disabilities are starting to get some attention, but invisible disabilities, including chronic illnesses, still have a long way to go.”
It should be noted, however, that the solution to meeting the clothing needs of women with chronic illness does not necessarily mean creating more dedicated clothing lines. Instead, it can be more innovative and incorporate new ways of thinking. For example, interviewee #1 explained that she found some secondhand clothing better fit her dressing needs, especially sizing, in an “unexpected” way, “So it's like, oh, so I've done a lot of thrifting like pre-worn stuff is great because it's, you know, it's already probably shrunk as much as it's going to. It's kind of already fit somebody's body.”
Likewise, interviewee #7 also felt comfortable shopping for secondhand clothing to meet her style needs. She shared: “I love thrifting. If I’m looking for something specific, that’s a little harder with thrifting. But sometimes you do get lucky, which is great.” For Interviewee #3, upcycling clothing was one way to meet her needs, although she preferred clothing that was originally designed for her condition. She explained, “I sometimes have to create, like, a little hole for it to come out of the dress… and that's really disappointing, too.”
About the authors:
Emilie Delaye is a summer scholar and a graduate instructor in fashion and apparel studies at the University of Delaware. Dr. Sheng Lu is professor and graduate director of fashion and apparel studies at the University of Delaware.
