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Maurice Bryan always dreamt of starting his own fashion line. Last month, he made it happen and opened his Etsy store for Differently Abled (DA) Fashions.
“From a very young age I always dreamt of becoming a designer and I am happy I was able to follow my passions and start creating my own logos for this fashion line,” said Bryan.
The line currently consists of t-shirts with DA Fashions logo and powerful phrases such as, “I am CapAble,” “You don’t have to be asleep to follow your dreams,” and “Please don’t let this chair fool you.”
Bryan, 35, has been working with his com hab specialist to come up with the logos and hopes to expand the line to include hats, pants, pajamas, and ultimately adaptive clothing.
“Pretty much the first thing that he said to me when I met him in the fall of 2022 is that he wanted to start a fashion line for people with disabilities,” said Kimberly Max, a DSP at Manhattan Com Hab. “We didn't have the funds or technology to pull it off, but this year, his former day habilitation specialist from ADAPT Community Network and his wife went into business with Maurice. They produce the t-shirts that are based on his ideas.”
Max helped Bryan open his first checking and savings account which he uses for business purposes and supports him with marketing for the fashion line.
“Maurice is very creative, ambitious, and talented. He has always had an interest in investing in the disability community,” said Max. “I think a lot of people with disabilities and their allies are going to want to show their pride by wearing these shirts. People with disabilities are the largest minority group in the country, so I think these are going to be very popular.”
“I just want people to know that anything is possible for anybody and there are no limitations,” said Bryan.
Check out Bryan’s Etsy store to see the full line.