Cozy Shouldn't Come with Conditions: Why Inclusive Fashion Matters

When people think of cozy, or comfortable, they think about soft sweaters, blankets,

stretchy waistbands, and calming colors. But, for many of us that live in disabled, chronically ill, or size-diverse bodies, cozy often comes with a long list of "Terms and Conditions".

It's almost like you can be cozy...

If you're under a certain size.

If your body "moves normally" (whatever that's supposed to mean)

If you don't need a feeding tube, mobility aid, or sensory friendly fabric.

If you've never had to choose between style and comfort or ability to stay at the event.

That was one of the biggest things I was focused on tending to while creating Chronic & Cozy. Comfort should NEVER be conditional.

Why Most Fashion Fails Diables and Plus- Size People:

Mainstream fashion is often designed for one kind of body: Able-bodied, neurotypical, size-standard individuals. What's the qualifications for a "Size-standard" individual, you may ask? They were the set of measurements that were essentially universally taken to make a small, medium, large, etc in the 1950's. That was the last time that the "standard sizing" was updated. So, when brands actually do end up making inclusive sizing or adaptive designs, the products are usually an afterthought, lacking real care, creativity, and the actual opinions and voices of people who need them.

Do you know how often I see a "Snoopy" shirt in the plus size section for grown adult women? I understand the love for "Snoopy", he's adorable and frankly I'd love to wear a shirt with him on it too, but if cartoon characters are on every plus-size shirt on the rack, how to you expect them to be any sort of comfortable or confident in that?

That's where slow, handmade fashion can step in.

When I started Chronic & Cozy, I wasn't just trying to make cute clothes and bags. I was trying to build a space where softness wasn't exclusive. Where comfort isn't a luxury, but a birthright. And in that comfort, confidence in the clothes that they're wearing and the way that they look on them. Just because someone is XXL, doesn't mean that they shouldn't be able to wear the exact same clothes that the XXS get to wear.

What Inclusive Fashion Looks Like to Me:

For me, Inclusive Fashion means more than just "extended sizes". It means:

• Garments that don't assume that everyone stands for long periods of time or moves easily.

• Garments that flex with your body, whether you're bloated from meds or navigating chronic pain.

• Style that feel good on flare-up days. sensory friendly textures, and adjustable designs.

• Language that doesn't shame or label bodies. but uplifts them

• Most of all, Fashion made with Empathy, not just trends.

Every stitch that I make and put into my work is formed by lived experience. I know what it's like to want to look and feel good - but having to choose. I want both, and I want both for you too.

Why Size Inclusion is so Important to Me?

I've been everything from a 3X shirt to a XS. I have literally shopped in every section of the store, at all different ages of life. I grew up really overweight, and when I lost a lot of weight, due to mental reasons and health reasons, but well into the part of life that I wanted to be "trendy and cool" and "just look like other girls", I wasn't able to because they didn't have the same clothes for me that they did for any other girl my age, but a smaller size. I was walking around in business casual for most of highschool. I want to make sure that there's a place that Guys, Gals, and Non-Binary Pals are all able to find clothes that are comfortable and able to fit them, and are made just like everyone else's.

I also have seen so many people struggle with infusion sites, IV's, feeding tubes, you name it. So, I am working so hard to create sweaters with tie-up sleeves for access points, bags that are structured and strong enough to carry feed bags for those who need them. I'm working on walker and cane handle grips, and even ones you can add onto crutches, if you have them. I am also finishing up my pattern for a walker seat cover as well! I am working so hard on getting them completed for everyone who needs them!

You deserve softness, no matter what.

Choosing Cozy isn't lazy.

Choosing soft isn't giving up.

Choosing comfort in a works that ignores your needs is resistance.

When disabled and plus-size people are excluded from comfort, we're being told that we don't deserve to feel good in our own skin. That's not okay with me, and that's not okay with this brand.

Chronic & Cozy exists to prove otherwise.

Bottom line, your body is worthy of comfort, no matter what it looks like, feels like, or goes through. Cozy isn't something you earn, it's something that you're allowed to claim, right now, exactly as you are. Because Cozy shouldn't come with Conditions.

Peace, love, and all the above,

Ella Marie <3