About

Welcome to Hope’s Closet™! I’m so glad you’re here.

My name is Hope, and I was diagnosed with scoliosis at 11 years old. Even at 11, I felt the pressure to look perfect from media and society. The year before, I had hit puberty and at 5’6 suddenly became the tallest in my class, surpassing even the boys. My straight hair turned frizzy and my skin suddenly became oily and pimply. I would wake up at 5:45 for school to ensure I had enough time to straighten my hair and put on concealer, mascara, and lip gloss. I also had glasses. On top of the bodily changes and insecurities that puberty had to offer, I was diagnosed with scoliosis and put in a night brace.

I was mortified at what this meant for sleepovers, which were the best part about middle school. Then I realized that I would never meet the unspoken and unnoticed beauty standard of having a straight spine. I began to wear baggy sweatshirts and yoga pants in order to conceal my brace. A girl at school said that I wore the same clothes every day. I had to duck into the nurses office before gym every day to take off my brace, each time looking around the hallway making sure none of my peers saw me. As much as I tried to hide my scoliosis, I was sticking out at a time when it was of the utmost importance to fit in among everyone.

The orthotist gave me a thick white scratchy and wooly undershirt to wear under my brace. It looked like a hospital towel. So my mom and I went to the mall one day to look for better undershirts. After a couple of grueling hours, we left. None of the tanks we found went high enough under my armpits, and they caused abrasions and heat rashes. I asked my mom why no one had made more comfortable specialty undershirts for scoliosis bracing. So, my mom got together with some friends and designed a cute AND functional undershirt for scoliosis bracing! The shirts come in black or white and are made with dry wicking material that prevents you from getting too hot. You can even wear them as a normal shirt when you are done with your brace!

Most importantly, they are comfortable which makes it easier to wear your brace for long periods of time. There really is no other shirt or company like ours on the market. My mom and I just want to help girls feel confident and wear their braces more!

Love,
Hope

P.S. It does get better! I still have days where I feel self conscious, but they are much rarer than in middle school/high school.

Mission

Our mission is to empower youth with idiopathic scoliosis by boosting confidence, self-esteem, and brace compliance.

About

Hope's Closet™ was first to market with cute and comfortable clothing for scoliosis brace wearers.

Hope’s Closet™ was founded in 2012 because my daughter, Hope, couldn’t and wouldn’t wear any of the available undershirts on the market under her scoliosis brace. Brace shirts offered by orthotists and orthopedic supply companies were too drab and clinical looking.

We tried lots of tank tops offered by popular girls’ retail stores. If we got lucky and found a shirt long enough to go under the brace, Hope would either suffer from heat rash in that shirt, or get abrasions under her armpits because the undershirt holes were cut too low. Plus, none of the shirts held up against Hope’s brace or our laundry machine.

After many frustrating trips to the mall and spending hundreds of dollars on shirts that simply did not work, Hope asked me why no one had designed a cute and comfortable shirt specifically to go under a scoliosis brace. My daughter’s question was the seed that launched Hope’s Closet™. A brace shirt brand specifically for scoliosis bracing that is known for its unique design and product features, which combine fashion with function. Since 2012, we’ve been told that our shirts have helped many girls to meet their brace wear compliance hours. As Hope said, “I may not have control over how many hours I have to wear my brace, but at least I can make it more comfortable by wearing the right shirt under it!”