Coralville Fashion Designer brings the perfect clothes to the customers

Coralville brand Eighth Fox is making fashion-forward clothing accessible to Iowans. The suit has parts made for people with disabilities.

After Coralville resident Kay Fox couldn’t find comfortable clothes to wear with an upset stomach at fast fashion stores, they created their own brand — Eightfold Fox.

“Naturally, I wanted to prove that. [the clothes] They didn’t press on my stomach, and they weren’t exactly one size at a time because if I have digestive issues, that’s very uncomfortable for me,” Fox said. “You can adjust it for the size you are that day and it will look fantastic on you.”

A two-year-old online brand is bringing custom clothing to Iowa City and surrounding communities.

Eighth Fox is based out of Coralville and manufactures clothing designed and manufactured specifically for people with disabilities. Fox’s interest in adapting in fashion stemmed from looking for clothes that accommodate stomachaches, Fox said.

Fox first worked as director of speech-language pathology at a private practice clinic in Connecticut. Fox wasn’t always planning on designing adaptive clothing; Rather, they said, it was born out of necessity.

According to Eightfold Fox customer Tara McGovern, the clothing is designed in a way that helps with all disabilities and issues.

Fox Clothing has tailored pieces for people living with arthritis, fine motor impairments, sensory needs, Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome and other conditions.

“I don’t have any physical reasons for specifically needing adaptive clothing, other than some sensory issues, but it’s very important and valuable that Fox can adjust to people’s personal needs and they understand the ways clothing should work. We,” he said.

The need for adaptive clothing affects many people. One in four adults in America has a disability, and six in ten live with a chronic illness, according to In 2020.

“They are all adjustable. For example, the gathered dress has some roundness in the front, and is gathered into the waistband,” Fox said. “It has a flat waistband, which prevents you from having that bulky look that many drawers can have. But behind it is gathered by a thread.

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Susan Abrahams, another Eight Fox customer, appreciates how the clothes she carries are not only practical but also fashionable.

“The clothes are beautiful, well made and comfortable,” Abraham said. “It’s hard to find things that don’t look like moose.”

Fox makes every item by hand and to order, giving consumers the option to customize the fabric, size and length of their purchase. This includes opting for ethical items made from 100 percent recycled fabric, buttons and other materials.

McGovern said he was pleased with the durability of the Eightfold Fox suit.

“I really like the choice to use ethically sourced fabrics,” McGovern said. “It could be like the last pieces.”

In addition to being tailored for physical needs, the clothing is also gender neutral – no men’s or women’s clothing is marketed.

“Fox cares a lot about how their clothes are presented in terms of gender. It’s not gender specific, which is very important to me,” McGovern said. [the clothing is] Adaptation not only in the sense of disability but also in the sense of gender performance.

After two years of making the clothes, Fox is still expanding their business, hoping to make adaptive clothing more accessible.

“I started posting about my experience online, and the response was overwhelming,” Fox said. “’Hey, did you know that what you’re designing will also work for my disability?’ They are sending me a private message. It was great when all these people reached out to me.”