Soumita Basu’s Brand Zyenika Is Transforming Adaptive Clothing for Disabled People in India

When arthritis took away much of her mobility in 2019, Soumita Basu found herself struggling with the simplest of tasks. Getting dressed, something she had always done without thought, now left her drained.

Her mother, Amita, was her only support. She recalls how even basic routines became a battle. “Taking a bath or just moving around was difficult,” she says. “And she didn’t even have proper clothes to wear to the hospital. She couldn’t go everywhere in her nightdress, so even the basics became a struggle.”

For Soumita, the pain was matched by a deeper frustration. Fashion had no place for someone like her. That was the moment she decided it had to change.

Making clothing work for every body

For someone with restricted mobility, something as simple as buttoning a shirt or pulling up trousers can feel like climbing a mountain. Traditional clothing, made with a narrow idea of who the wearer is, often leaves out people living with arthritis, spinal injuries, chronic pain, or age-related stiffness.

“Adaptive clothing is not about giving people something ‘extra’,” Soumita explains. “It is about giving them what the rest of us already have — the freedom to dress with ease and feel confident in their own skin.”

At Zyenika, garments come with magnetic closures, Velcro fastenings, concealed openings, and no-bend trousers. These may seem like small details, but to someone with limited finger movement or back pain, they can mean the difference between asking for help and being able to dress independently.

Amita remembers the early days of experimenting with designs. “No version was perfect. We kept trying until we ourselves were satisfied with the finishing. Slowly, after many attempts, we arrived at designs that worked.”

The focus was never only on function. Each piece was meant to feel stylish and dignified — clothing that anyone would want to wear, no matter their age or ability. “Even if you are at home, you still dress for yourself,” says Soumita. “You look in the mirror first, before anyone else sees you. That moment should always make you feel good.”

A sketchbook and a new beginning 

The idea for Zyenika took shape during Soumita’s most difficult days. When arthritis reduced her mobility to a fraction of what it once was, even dressing became painful. Amita often stood by, trying to ease a struggle that should never have existed in the first place.

Instead of accepting this as their reality, mother and daughter began sketching alternatives together. With just Rs 21,000 in hand, they approached local tailors, tested prototypes, and learnt through mistakes. Each failed attempt revealed new flaws but also sparked new possibilities.

“What began as a personal solution quickly resonated with many others,” Soumita recalls. “Once I started talking about it, I realised how many people — elderly parents, recovering patients, young people with invisible disabilities — faced the same struggles. And there was simply nothing in mainstream fashion for them.”

For Amita, this was the turning point. “We knew it couldn’t only be about us,” she says. “We wanted others with similar problems to have clothing that worked, so no one would feel excluded.”

By 2020, the label was launched officially, with Amita standing firmly by her daughter’s side — not only as a caregiver, but as a co-founder.

There’s a village behind every stitch

Running a fashion start-up is never simple. Building one in a space no one has tested before is even harder. Yet Zyenika grew, fuelled by word of mouth and loyal customers who kept coming back.

The first steps were modest. A seed grant of Rs 5 lakh came from the Grassroots Innovation Augmentation Network (GIAN) in Gujarat, followed by support from the Jubilant Bhartia Foundation. Along the way, mentors stepped in and became part of their extended family. Catalyst Group founder Shiv Kumar encouraged Soumita to balance her full-time job with entrepreneurship, Aspire For Her founder Madhura Dasgupta opened doors to valuable networks, and Vivek Pradeep Rana, Managing Partner at Gnothi Seauton, guided her on building stronger systems.

“People talk about being self-made,” Soumita says. “I am the opposite. This brand was built by a village — my family, my customers, my mentors, and every single person who believed that clothing could be more inclusive.”

The production process reflects this belief. The team works with single mothers, women-led tailoring units, and manufacturing groups that employ people with disabilities. For Soumita, this is not charity but collaboration. “I am not empowering them. They are empowering me by producing garments of the highest quality,” she says.

What empowerment looks like in clothing

For Soumita, empowerment in fashion comes from two places: the process of wearing the garment, and the experience of living in it. If either is compromised, the clothing fails its purpose.

She explains it simply. “Imagine a teenager trying on clothes in a store, only to find nothing fits her body type. Even if someone else says she looks fine, she has already felt rejected by the mirror. That rejection chips away at confidence.”

Zyenika’s designs aim to prevent that feeling. A kurta with Velcro fastenings looks like any other, yet it allows someone with arthritis to dress without help. A pair of trousers with side zips spares an elderly person the pain of bending. A blouse with magnetic closures can be worn in seconds without fumbling with buttons.

For many customers, these changes are life-altering. “One woman told me she finally felt like herself again when she wore our kurta,” Soumita recalls.

Amita remembers another moment vividly. A seven-year-old disabled child was close to leaving school because he could not manage the washroom alone. “We designed customised trousers for him that made it easier to pass urine,” she says. “His mother later wrote to us saying he was so happy, and now he even visits museums and zoos.”

Stories like these are what make both mother and daughter proudest — proof that a garment can do more than clothe the body. It can restore confidence, dignity, and independence.

Normalising comfort for all bodies

As Zyenika grew, Soumita noticed something striking. The clothing was not only helping people with disabilities. Joggers who disliked fiddly buttons, professionals with back pain, and young mothers pressed for time also found the designs useful.

This insight led to the launch of a sister brand focused on inclusive fashion. Unlike adaptive clothing designed mainly for functional challenges, this line brought easy-to-wear, semi-formal Indian and Western wear into everyday wardrobes.

“Inclusivity means everyone,” Soumita says firmly. “If a person without disability prefers magnetic fastenings because they’re quicker, that’s valid too. We are normalising comfort and dignity for all bodies.”

Talks with major retailers like Westside are now underway. While larger companies move slowly, Soumita sees this as a sign that the fashion industry is beginning to recognise the importance of inclusive design.

When feedback shapes every garment

One of Zyenika’s biggest strengths is the way it involves customers in the process. They are not just buyers but co-creators. Many suggest tweaks, share their experiences, and even research adaptations online.

Soumita recalls a recent example. “A client needed a customised garment we had stopped producing. Instead of walking away, she said, ‘Let’s experiment together.’ She even sent me ideas she found online. That’s the kind of faith that builds us.”

This feedback loop keeps designs rooted in lived reality rather than assumptions. It also builds a sense of community, where customers feel genuine ownership of the brand’s growth.

The challenges of building an empire

Despite its growing recognition, the journey has not been without hurdles. In 2022, a period of illness left Soumita unable to work for months, and the brand’s turnover dipped. Yet loyal customers continued to return, keeping the venture afloat.

Today, Zyenika runs with a small hybrid team of four core members, supported by remote collaborators in marketing, design, and social media. AI-generated visuals supplement professional shoots, helping the team stay creative while conserving resources.

Financially, the venture is still modest, with turnover in the “few lakhs” bracket. The ambition, however, is bold: to grow from Rs 21,000 to Rs 1.3 crore in annual revenue within the next financial year. Seed funding rounds are ongoing, with friends, family, and well-wishers placing their trust in the vision.

“Every rupee matters, but more than that, every connection matters,” Soumita says. “Mentors, collaborators, and customers have invested not just money but trust and knowledge. That is the real capital of Zyenika.”

Even the name reflects this spirit of perseverance. Derived from the word Seneca, meaning a female hawk, it symbolises elegance and resilience. “Female hawks are graceful yet relentless,” Soumita explains. “That’s what I wanted Zyenika to be. Every garment should look elegant, even if it is designed for bed rest. And as a brand, we will keep persevering, leaving no one behind.”

Taking inclusive fashion mainstream

From its modest beginnings with Rs 21,000, Zyenika has grown into a beacon of inclusive fashion. The next chapter is about scaling production, partnering with larger retailers, and expanding the sister brand into mainstream markets.

For Soumita, though, the mission remains steady. It is not centred on profit margins or market share. It is about reshaping the link between clothing and confidence.

“Fashion has always been a gatekeeper,” she says. “If your body didn’t fit the mould, you were made to feel inadequate. Zyenika is about flipping that narrative. The clothes must fit the body, not the other way round.”

The many hands behind the work

At its heart, Zyenika is more than a business. It is a collective dream held together by family, mentors, customers, and the team. Soumita’s father often steps in as a courier when deliveries are delayed. Her sister manages financial stability so she can focus on design. Single mothers stitch garments with care. Customers suggest adaptations with enthusiasm.

“Zyenika is not mine alone,” Soumita says. “It belongs to everyone who has touched it with faith, patience, or skill.”

Amita shares that pride deeply. “Almost every achievement makes me emotional,” she says. “What fulfils me most is seeing the way customers respond to the clothes. I feel proud knowing people across the world now recognise what we are doing.”

In a country where over 16% of the population lives with disability and nearly 30% struggles with chronic pain, their work is not niche but necessary. By making inclusive fashion visible, this mother–daughter duo is steadily shifting an entire industry towards empathy and dignity.

Fashion, at its best, is a language of selfhood. For too long, that language has excluded those whose bodies move differently. Through Zyenika, Soumita, and Amita are showing a powerful truth: empowerment does not come from fitting into clothes. It comes from clothes that fit you.

“Every body matters,” Soumita repeats. And in their world, every stitch proves it true.

Edited by Khushi Arora; all images courtesy Soumita Basu