Selfia: clever and elegant clothes<

Selfia:

Selfia offers a range of clothing designed specifically to adapt to the needs of people with physical disabilities.

Jean-François DECALONNE, co-creator of the Selfia brand, answers our questions and explains how the specificities and needs of the public concerned were integrated into the creation of this clothing line. .

Capgeris

What motivated the creation of Selfia?

Mr. Jean-François DECALONNE

Through Mulliez's various experiences in the world of textiles (clothing for caregivers and patients, for example), we have repeatedly been faced with requests for easy dressing. We had already worked, at the end of the 80s, on a concept similar to that of Selfia. At the dawn of the 3rd millennium, we had to provide a pragmatic response to these demands.

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What range of clothing does Selfia offer?

Mr. Jean-François DECALONNE

Selfia offers a wide range of clothing suitable for people with loss of mobility: osteoarthritis, Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease... The range is made up of men's and women's trousers, shirts and blouses, cardigans, top and bottom underwear. bottom.

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What are the specificities of these ranges of clothing and integrated tips to facilitate dressing?

Mr. Jean-François DECALONNE

All Selfia clothes have tricks to make life easier for the elderly. They open completely with zips. They can therefore be put on while standing, sitting or lying down.

MEN'S AND WOMEN'S TROUSERS

The belt has elastic on the sides for better support and optimal comfort when seated.

At the rear, the SELFIA pants have a larger surface of fabric than standard pants. Thus, when the person sits down, their lower back remains protected from the cold. This surplus of fabric is also appreciated when the person, because of his incontinence, is protected.

Each bottom garment is designed with zips on the front of each leg.

The fly is fake. The pants open completely from top to bottom or from bottom to top by means of discreet zips located all along the leg.

This system of zips avoids having to lift one leg to put on the pants. It also remains very effective when it comes to adjusting a prosthesis on the leg or simply accessing the toilet.

Each trouser has a pocket located on the inside of the leg, between the ankle and the calf. It allows the insertion of a urinary catheter system.

The inner waistband is adjustable in 3 sizes. It allows you to take advantage of all the possibilities of opening, while keeping the pants firmly in place around the waist.

SHIRT OR BLOUSE

The shirt has zips along the entire side, from the wrist to the hip, passing through the armpits. These zips allow the garment to be completely opened so that it can be put on without restriction of movement. Whatever the situation, it is not the arm that seeks the sleeve, but the sleeve that comes to cover the arm.

The buttons on the shirt are fake. The front opening and closing of the garment is carried out using hook-and-loop strips.

The shirt retains its original appearance.

The cuffs, also equipped with dummy buttons and self-gripping bands, have a grip loop. Once the thumb has passed through this loop, all you have to do is pull lightly on the zip, from the wrist to the armpit, to close the shirt.

As on the inside of the wrist, the shirt has a side strap at the hip. This fabric tab allows you to slide your thumb and with just one finger you can pull up the zipper up to your armpits.

CARDIGAN

The cardigan has the same tricks as the Selfia shirt with one difference: the buttons are fake but the closure is made with a magnetic strip.

Virtually invisible, the magnets make dressing easier: just place the first magnet and the set closes automatically for a perfect fit.

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What are the constraints encountered by people with disabilities in terms of clothing?

Mr. Jean-François DECALONNE

Constraints: lifting an arm to put on a shirt sleeve, lifting a leg to put on pants, lowering the pants to access the toilet then bending over to put them back in place, managing to close your shirt with too many buttons small…

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How do you combine comfort and fashion?

Mr. Jean-François DECALONNE

To design the clothes, we started with fashion clothes like jeans, then we modified them, with the help of occupational therapists. We have taken into account the comfort of sportswear and the disabilities linked to all types of pathology.

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What is the “style” of the clothes on offer?

Mr. Jean-François DECALONNE

Sportswear, casual… the style is modern without any restrictions on comfort

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Are the models aimed at all age and size categories or rather at a specific audience?

Mr. Jean-François DECALONNE

The models adapt to all adult populations. For example, jeans can be worn by a person in their thirties as well as a forty-something.

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What materials are used?

Mr. Jean-François DECALONNE

Flannel, elastane, denim, velvet, bi-stretch fabric, blend of cotton for comfort and polyester for resistance...

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Is the collection available other than online and in the catalogue? Where can we find Selfia shops?

Mr. Jean-François DECALONNE

The collection is only available on the online sales site selfie.com. a demonstration video for the top and bottom garments allows you to quickly understand how the concept works.

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What are the highlights of your collection?

Mr. Jean-François DECALONNE

Denim pants and corduroy pants are a big hit!

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Do you make certain models to measure?

Mr. Jean-François DECALONNE

We do not make custom models. We have studied at length the pathologies, the demands of each of the handicaps and tried to integrate the tips discreetly on each garment.

Men's and women's pants

A waistband with elasticated sides for better support and optimal comfort when seated.

Pants with zips

Each bottom garment is designed with zips on the front of each leg.

Pants equipped with inside pockets

Each pair of pants has a pocket on the inside of the leg, between the ankle and the calf, for inserting a urinary catheter system.

Shirts or blouses

Dummy shirt buttons: because the front opening and closing of the garment is carried out using Velcro strips.

Clever closing systems

As on the inside of the wrist, the shirt is equipped with a side strap at hip level: a fabric tab that allows the thumb to slide and the power of a single finger, pull the zipper up to under the armpits.

Cardigan

Equipped with the same tricks as shirts, cardigans also have virtually invisible magnets. Just place the first magnet and the set closes automatically for a perfect fit.