Freedom Fit: How Adaptive Clothing Restores Dignity, Comfort, and a Sense of Freedom with the Support of EU4Youth

When simply putting on a T-shirt or a pair of trousers takes dozens of minutes and is accompanied by pain, it is no longer a matter of style. It becomes a matter of dignity, independence, and quality of life. In the context of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, when thousands of military personnel and civilians are undergoing a difficult rehabilitation journey after injuries and amputations, the need for adaptive clothing has become especially acute.

It was this awareness that led to the creation of the social enterprise Freedom Fit in early 2024. Founded by a team of young entrepreneurs led by Roman Kifa, Vlada Tatarchenko, and Anzhelika Shestozub, the initiative set out to change the approach to clothing for people with disabilities, with the support of the EU4Youth programme.

Clothing designed around real needs

At the core of Freedom Fit is the development of specialised adaptive clothing for people undergoing rehabilitation in healthcare facilities or transitioning back into civilian life. The Freedom Fit team does more than simply sew garments – they design clothing around the individual, taking into account specific physical needs, comfort, and aesthetics.

The mission of the project is to create a barrier-free environment and improve people’s emotional well-being through high-quality, stylish, and functional clothing. These garments not only make dressing easier, faster, and pain-free, but most importantly, they help restore a sense of confidence and control over one’s own life.

When empathy becomes action

Before launching production, the team carried out extensive preparatory work, including surveys, questionnaires, and focus groups with representatives of their target audience. This allowed them to gain a deep understanding of the real needs of people with disabilities and military personnel undergoing rehabilitation.

As a result, the team established a social enterprise and released two full adaptive clothing collections featuring exclusive design solutions that are already being successfully sold. At the same time, Freedom Fit is engaged in educational activities – the project includes lectures on social entrepreneurship for those who are ready to launch or scale their initiatives.

‘Creating an adaptive clothing line is a complex and meticulous process. It involves constant focus groups, continuous refinement, and striving each time to achieve the best possible result, because creating a barrier-free environment is the core mission we set for ourselves. Clothing must be comfortable and convenient, not a source of daily pain’, says Roman Kifa, co-founder of Freedom Fit.

Social impact you can feel every day

Freedom Fit works for people for whom everyday activities have become a challenge. Their clothing helps people with disabilities and veterans adapt more quickly to a new stage of life, feel independent, and remain socially included.

In addition, the project promotes a culture of conscious consumption, the use of recycled materials, and zero-waste production principles – combining social responsibility with contemporary design.

Support that turns ideas into real change

The social enterprise Freedom Fit was created with the support of Junior Achievement Ukraine, which, within the framework of the programme “EU4Youth – Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship”, co-financed by the European Union and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, is implementing the project “Building Back Better through Social Entrepreneurship” (implemented in Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia).

Through this initiative, JA Ukraine helps young people aged 17 to 22 turn ideas into real social businesses, supporting them at every stage – from concept development to enterprise launch and the provision of mini-grants for operational growth.

‘Working with young people, I see that social entrepreneurship often becomes their first point of self-confidence. It is the moment when an idea ceases to be “just a thought” and turns into action, responsibility and real impact. For many, it’s not about business – it’s about the feeling that you can change the surrounding environment right now’, says Junior Achievement Ukraine programme manager Yelyzaveta Radutna.

Looking Ahead

Today, Freedom Fit has two fully implemented clothing lines, with plans for scaling up, expanding the product range, and entering international markets. The team aims to make adaptive clothing accessible to various social groups and to demonstrate that young entrepreneurs can be powerful drivers of recovery, inclusion, and sustainable development – even in the most challenging times.

Background information:

The EU4Youth Phase III Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship programme, funded by the European Union and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, is being executed by the Central Project Management Agency (CPVA) in Eastern Partnership countries. These include Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. The programme will run until the middle of 2026 and aims to provide technical assistance to governmental and non-governmental organisations to tackle youth unemployment and improve employability.