Palta’s mission to redesign Israel’s paralympic uniforms to each athlete’s needs

Israel’s Paralympic team this year will for the first time be wearing ceremonial outfits that were designed with the needs of the athletes first. In partnership with The Ruderman Family Foundation, fashion and technology company Palta measured each athlete and considered their unique needs before the overall design process took place.

The Israeli Paralympic uniforms were designed by Palta co-founders Shay Senior, who was injured during his IDF service, and Netanel Yehuda Halevi, who was born with muscular dystrophy and uses a motorized wheelchair. Senior and Halevi are also members of the Link20 global social movement established by the Ruderman Family Foundation as a digital space for activism to promote awareness campaigns.

Each outfit was made to be as accessible as possible to accommodate the broadest amount of impairments and needs. For example, some outfits had increased circumference width for those who had bionic arms, or those with mobility challenges had their uniforms adjusted making the difference between being able to dress independently or needing assistance. The outfits will be on display during the entire Paralympic Games in Tokyo, which are taking place between August 24-September 5.

“Tomorrow the Israeli Paralympic Delegation to Tokyo presents the first inclusive outfit for Paralympic teams in the world,” said Senior. “The outfit was designed with the understanding that the personal adaptation is not more important than the feeling of being part of a group and representing a country. The fabrics, the closure systems, and different elements in the clothes were chosen after deep and long research about the different individual's needs from the previous year.”

A big focus of the design was that the athletes would be able to wear the clothing as independently as possible, as Palta believes that this is a big part of self-confidence and the overall dignity of the experience. Palta designed the uniforms at the request of the Israeli Paralympic Committee and includes clothes and accessories based on the special needs of each of Israel’s 33 representative athletes.

“Investing in Palta’s crucial work and mission reflects our understanding that affecting prosocial change through sports, including by promoting a more inclusive landscape for athletes with disabilities, can make a tremendous public impact not only in the sports world but in society-at-large,” said Jay Ruderman, President of the Ruderman Family Foundation. “We are gratified that Shay and Netanel, empowered by their experiences through the Foundation and Link20, have used their unique inclusive fashion brand to make a highly visible and prosocial impact at the Paralympic Games.”

Palta was founded in 2018 and develops solutions for the fashion industry based on the needs of individuals with disabilities. In the past, the Ruderman Family Foundation has partnered with Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox to create public service announcements on mental health, as well as distribute grants to non-profits across six U.S states in New England to improve mental health for young adults.