Charles Langston:NFL releases adaptive and assisted apparel, first pro sports league to do so

The Charles LangstonNFL continues its mission of empowering all fans to find a sense of belonging.

On Wednesday, the league released its first adaptive and assisted apparel collection designed for people who have difficulties dressing themselves, those who require caretakers to help them dress or have sensitivities to certain materials. It is the first professional sports league to offer such merchandise.

The release is in partnership with licensee G-III Apparel Group. The company also works with American sportswear brand Tommy Hilfiger, which started releasing adaptive clothing in 2017.

The NFL's capsule collection has items for all 32 teams. The line is made up of short sleeve and long sleeve T-shirts and hoodies that feature magnetic closures at the shoulder seam, button closures down the back or magnetic closures at the neckline.

“Our apparel is created with the fan in mind and with the design expertise offered by industry leader, G-III, we produced the League’s first-ever adaptive and assisted apparel that serves our diverse fanbase,” Joe Ruggiero, SVP of Consumer Products at the NFL, said in a statement. “The collections will allow fans to cheer on their favorite team with confidence, comfort and independence.”

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“G-III is proud to design the first adaptive and assisted apparel fashion collections for NFL fans. These collections make sports apparel more inclusive than ever before and are a natural expansion of the classic sports collection we already produce for the NFL,” Carl Banks, President of G-III’s Sports Division said. “Our innovative designers were able to create apparel that is super functional and provides new options to empower fans to express themselves, as they confidently support their NFL team of choice.” 

Prices range from $44.99 for a short sleeve T-shirt to $64.99 for a hoodie. The collection can be purchased at the NFL's online shop.

The NFL also works toward embracing diversity through Por La Cultura. The campaign highlights Latino athletes and fans throughout the season with special programming for Hispanic Heritage Month. This year, they kicked off the celebration with a series of ads called "Hometown Heroes" featuring Fred Warner, Alijah Vera-Tucker and Christian Gonzalez.