It’s funny how the sum of all your experiences come together to create opportunities. This exact reason is why it’s not a quick answer when someone asks why Brakefields was started!

Cofounders Mary Cayten and Stephanie Brakefield both learned how to sew at a young age and grew up dressing dolls, and later themselves, in colorful, one of a kind creations. Stephanie considered going into fashion design but her other passion of teaching children won out in her twenties. Her favorite part of teaching was helping children solve problems and overcome obstacles on their road to independence. Later Stephanie embarked on her favorite job of all- raising her own children. Nothing gives her more joy than family, and her family has always been extremely active. She quickly learned that being comfortable and being able to move with ease was key to chasing children, staying active, and feeling vibrant. Unfortunately, workout clothes were all that were available to fit that bill, and she preferred a more fashionable option.

Mary Cayten went to college as a student-athlete for a degree in fashion business. She loved having a foot in each of her favorite worlds while she learned about the fashion industry in a more formal way and competed as a college athlete. While in school, she participated in a program that worked closely with a number of adaptive sport organizations and was repeatedly told by these disabled athletes how frustrating it was to try to find clothing they liked. Soon after, she was diagnosed with a genetic condition that changed her own ability levels, and she could personally see the need for adaptive products. As she entered her senior year of college, she got involved with her university’s entrepreneur center and began putting together a plan for how she and her mom could successfully launch a clothing label together.

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit and sent Mary Cayten back home, the two women got to work on their plans to launch a label that was equally as fashionable as it was functional. They personally wanted clothes that were colorful, stylish, easy to get on and off, and comfortable enough to do cartwheels in. The pair began asking countless people about their experiences getting dressed and what shaped how they choose their clothing each day. With over a year of research and development under their belts, Mary Cayten and Stephanie used what they had gathered to design solutions to the problems created by so much of the clothing in our closets today. 

We are so excited about all of the work that has been done so far and can’t wait for the brand to continue growing, evolving, and better serving our customers! We are so grateful for all of the feedback we have been given already and believe that we will never stop learning, researching, and communicating with our community. There are so many problems women run into with their clothes, and we hope to one day be able to address them all. We are excited for everything the future might hold from extended sizing and length offerings to partnerships with other brands and helping to make universal design the mainstream norm!