Joe & Bella Adaptive Clothing: A Founding Brand Spotlight

When choosing the founding brands featured on Adaptiv, I looked for a few essential qualities: a story rooted in authenticity, fashion-forward adaptive clothing, a commitment to strengthening the broader adaptive fashion community, and products that could genuinely benefit older adults, caregivers, people with disabilities, and those recovering from surgery.

When I discovered Joe & Bella and read the story behind the adaptive clothing brand, I couldn't help but smile. Their experience felt remarkably familiar.

During the pandemic, CEO and co-founder Jimmy Zollo watched his lifelong-fashionista grandmother struggle to get dressed while living in a memory-care community. Although his family believed adaptive clothing could help, the options they found felt more medical than personal.

“We thought adaptive clothing would help, but what we found looked medical, not personal. It screamed patient, not person.” — Jimmy Zollo, CEO and Co-Founder of Joe & Bella

That experience inspired Jimmy and his team to create something different: premium, fashion-forward clothing designed to make dressing easier without making the person wearing it feel defined by a medical need.

Earlier this year, my own grandmother broke her arm and needed easy-dressing clothing during her post-surgery recovery. My mom began searching Amazon for adaptive tops for surgery recovery. While she eventually found some functional options, the process took far too long, and much of what she found felt dated or “old-coded.”

If there's one thing to know about my nanny, it's that she is a true fashionista. She always has her makeup done, her jewelry on, and her pocketbook ready to go. Watching her recovery was difficult because this strong, stylish woman was suddenly struggling with something as personal and fundamental as getting dressed.

I first imagined Adaptiv six years earlier, but this experience pushed me to finally build and launch the adaptive product discovery platform. The products existed; finding the right ones was the problem.

That common thread brings me back to Joe & Bella.

Joe & Bella creates stylish adaptive clothing for older adults, people with limited mobility, and anyone who could benefit from an easier dressing experience. Its clothing is great for everyday, and thoughtfully designed to simplify getting dressed without sacrificing personal style.

Through features such as CareZips® technology, magnetic button shirts, side-zip pants, and compression socks, Joe & Bella creates functional clothing that supports everyday life. Its focused collection addresses real dressing needs while helping people feel comfortable and confident in what they wear.

That combination of function, style, and purpose made Joe & Bella a natural fit for the Adaptiv Discovery community.

Joe & Bella is one of many brands creating meaningful products within the growing adaptive fashion industry, and that is exactly why Adaptiv exists.

We are not here to choose one adaptive clothing brand over another. We are here to bring these brands together, make their products easier to discover, and help move the future of adaptive design forward.

Adaptive clothing should be available to every person who could benefit from it, whether they are living with a disability, experiencing limited mobility, aging, caregiving, or recovering from an injury or surgery. The more people know these products exist, the more people we can help.

Discover Joe & Bella's adaptive clothing on Adaptiv, and stay tuned for new adaptive product discoveries every day!