By Mehulkumar Pancholi, EPABA 03, 2020
Caption: Mehulkumar Pancholi and Brinda Pancholi, co-founders of Multifly, in their studio.
Multifly Lifestyle Pvt. Ltd is a social enterprise that I co-founded with Brinda Pancholi, my wife in Bengaluru, Karnataka. As an IIMA alumnus, I bring over 25 years of experience in the fashion and textile sector. During a stint of 11 years in India’s biggest organisation in Fashion and Lifestyle Brands, I have taken up leadership positions in Product development, Quality Assurance and Technical services, delivering a range of new products.
Brinda, with more than two decades of experience in the development sector, has dedicated the last 10 years to the disability space. Our friends with visible and invisible disabilities voiced their struggles in finding adequate, functional, and affordable yet fashionable garments, and we saw a business opportunity that was socially relevant. Thus, in 2021, Multifly Lifestyle Pvt. Ltd. was born.
Caption: Weighted vest for an autistic child
Multifly is India’s only professionally run inclusive fashion apparel company, dedicated to meeting the unique needs of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), the elderly, and patients requiring specialized garments. At Multifly, we believe that along with Roti, Kapda, and Makaan (food, clothing, and shelter), Samman (dignity) is a basic human necessity. By designing and crafting inclusive garments, we aim to ensure Kapda and Samman for all.
Initially, we outsourced trials but soon realized the need for a permanent development center equipped with a dedicated team, advanced machinery, and accessible facilities. In July 2023, we proudly opened our development center where every step, from conceptualization to design to garment production, takes place.
Our motto is to create fashion for PwDs, by PwDs. We actively engage clients in the design process and we aim to have 60% of our team comprising individuals with disabilities. We strive to create an ecosystem where PwDs are respectfully employed across all functions, including supply of materials, design, manufacturing, and marketing, not just within our company but also in partner enterprises. We also envision PwDs as our retail partners, earning from remote locations.
Caption: Easy fly trouser for a wheelchair user
Our range of inclusive and adaptive garments caters to:
Our offerings
1. Persons with Loco-Motor Disabilities, Paraplegia, Quadriplegia, and Dwarfism: We offer adaptive trousers, shorts, gowns, dresses that conceal urine bags, specialized trousers for those using calipers, skirts, shirts, blouses, workwear, ethnic wear, festive wear, and casual wear.
2. Children and Young Adults with Autism: Our line includes trousers, shorts, t-shirts, body sacks, weighted vests, and lap pads.
3. Senior Citizens: We provide minimum movement adaptive pants, gowns, dresses, shirts, and tops.
4. Patients: Our offerings include briefs for colostomy patients, tops for breast cancer patients, trousers and gowns for kidney disease patients, and specialized garments for orthopedic patients.
Inclusive Features in our garments
- Our inclusive garments carry features like hook & loop closures, magnetic buttons, snap buttons for easy closures.
- Trousers with higher back rise, elastic waistbands, wider bottom openings, relaxed fittings, and side pull-up loops
- Top wear with wider sleeve openings, bigger armholes, raglan sleeves, and full front/back/side openings based on the wearer’s ability and comfort
All garments are made using 100% cotton and other natural fibres, are pre-washed to maintain stability, and special garments are treated with plant-based antimicrobial finishes to maintain hygiene. Customization is based on the user’s condition. Our development center is an accessible space equipped with ramps, accessible toilets, and proximity to public transport.
Community Engagement
We consciously and continuously engage with the community through product showcases, workshops, focus groups, and collaborations with disability organizations and healthcare providers. Our partners include Biswa Gouri Charitable Trust, Association of People with Disabilities (APD), National Association for the Blind (NAB) Bengaluru, Blind People’s Association (BPA) Ahmedabad, Mobility India, Spinal Injured Persons Association (SIPA) Tamil Nadu, National Center for Assistive Health Technologies (NCAHT) IIT Madras, Amar Seva Sangam, and Seva Bharathi, among others.
These interactions help us stay attuned to the evolving needs of our customers and continuously improve our products. Community events also serve as platforms for customers to share their experiences and feedback, fostering a sense of belonging and support.
Recognition
For our innovation UROCARE+, India’s first inclusive trousers for spinal cord injury (paraplegia and quadriplegia) patients, we were awarded the “Innovation Excellence Award – Dignity Champion 2024” by India Fashion Forum and NIFTA. These trousers smartly conceal the urine bag within, ensuring dignity and supporting easy downward flow of urine, helping prevent UTIs in patients. The plant-based antimicrobial wash prevents odour and maintains hygiene.
Impact
Our weighted vests, weighted lap pads, and body sacks have aided therapy for over 60 children and young adults at Bubbles Center for Autism, run by Biswa Gowri Charitable Trust. We have about 600 active users of our products. We are developing garments for visually impaired persons, the elderly with urinary and bowel incontinence issues, and patients with chronic diseases like cancer and stroke to reach a wider population.
Challenges
Lack of awareness about the availability of inclusive, specialized clothing among users and the larger population is a major challenge. Many PwDs and senior citizens are not employed, making the affordability of customized inclusive garments a challenge. Since inclusive garments are largely customized and handmade, scaling up quickly is difficult. However, we have chosen a sustainable path, collaborating with NGOs in the disability space to find the right candidates willing to be trained in designing and tailoring skills.
Way Forward
India has approximately 40 million PwDs and 100 million senior citizens, representing a huge market for inclusive garments. Multifly, as a small, bootstrapped organization, can reach this market through collaboration with NGOs, support groups, and philanthropic organizations and CSR funds. Partnerships with academic and research institutions like IIT Madras (R2D2), IIM Ahmedabad, NCAHT, and NIEPMD can help us with faster trials, access to market research, and extended reach to users.
For more details, please visit www.multifly.co.in , https://www.linkedin.com/company/multifly
Mehulkumar Pancholi is Fashion & Textile Professional and an Entrepreneur. He lives in Bengaluru and can be reached at mehulpancholi99@gmail.com
