Dressing smooth, looking sharp

Ten years ago, Jimmy Zollo saw his grandmother struggle painfully to put on a simple cardigan. “This happens every time we change clothes,” said the nurse at her assisted living home, “and it’s not just her.”

But when he gifted his grandma — a retired teacher at Chicago’s Temple Sholom Congregation — an adaptive garment, she outright rejected it, saying it was “too ugly” to wear.

Her reaction served as the impetus for Jimmy and his father, Peter, to create clothing with the twin goals of function and fashion: The garments needed to be easy to put on independently– but not sacrifice style or dignity along the way.

In 2020, Jimmy and Peter — active members of the Chicago Jewish community — launched Joe & Bella, a clothing line that offers “adaptive” clothes for those living with cognitive or physical disabilities.

“When you are no longer able to dress yourself, your world is often turned upside down. So, we made it our mission to bring more dignity, joy, and ease to the lives of older adults, and those who care for them,” Peter said. At the same time, customers “express their identities through what they wear. Living with age-related changes does not mean wearing clothes that don’t look or feel like you.”

They named their company Joe & Bella after the first friends Jimmy’s grandparents made at their assisted living home. They had, Peter fondly recalled, “warmly introduced themselves and offered a helping hand.” Their sunniness inspired the Zollos as they developed their company.

To help those living with impairments dress and undress with less stress and pain — while also saving time for caregivers — Joe & Bella’s clothes offer some clever features: The garments have magnets hidden behind shirt buttons as closures, making dressing quicker than with more traditional fasteners. Their design also conceals zippers along pant legs, and discreetly places elastic throughout the garments.

To inspire their designs, the company investigated specialized garments designed for babies, campers, and stage actors. Earlier this year, they were inspired by the quick costume changes they saw during Usher’s Super Bowl halftime show– and connected with his designer.

Recently, Joe & Bella partnered with actor Seth Rogen and his wife, Lauren Miller Rogen. Seth and Lauren — whose mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease — founded Hilarity for Charity, a non-profit organization that raises awareness and funs research toward Alzheimer’s. The couple designed clothes for the line; a portion of the sales benefit the charity.

Joe & Bella also employs design interns from Israel’s Shenkar College, and works with top designers and advisors from brands like Lululemon, Juicy Couture, and David Yurman.

But the Zollos draw their deepest inspiration from Joe and Bella themselves. They were widowed Holocaust survivors who found each other later in life. Once Jimmy’s grandfather joined his grandmother in assisted living, Joe and Bella ate every meal and celebrated holidays with them.

Even after everything Joe and Bella endured, Jimmy said, “They never stopped being who they were, still joyful and caring. We’re proud to honor their legacy, and impact on our family, by naming our company after them.”