Tel Aviv-based inclusive fashion pioneer Palta is launching what founder Shay Senior describes as the world’s first data-driven search engine for inclusive shopping.

Planned to go live in time for December holiday shopping, Palta’s platform promotes inclusive rather than adaptive clothing.

“Adaptive clothing is priced higher and limits the customer to specific collections,” Senior explains, “while inclusive design makes sure to fit the needs of the widest possible range of individuals so that brands don’t lose existing customers and also add new customers.”

The technology will help brands analyze their products through a scoring system for inclusivity and will help customers find those products easily.  

“A lot of brands already have products that fit the needs of people with disabilities but they don’t know it, and the customers don’t know about it. Any [appropriate] product we find automatically gets into our platform with a specific description that helps the customer with disabilities, from children to the elderly,” says Senior.

“It will help brands make their website or store fit the needs of individuals, and will help those individuals find what they are looking for.”

Senior founded Palta Clothes in 2018 with social activist and motivational speaker Netanel Yehuda Halevi, who had muscular dystrophy and passed away last September.

After Palta Clothes outfitted the Israel Paralympic delegation to Tokyo in 2020, many athletic outfitters began contacting the partners for consultation.

“We realized that our knowhow — analyzing the needs of people with disabilities and translating that into clothes — is the product we should provide to the industry,” says Senior. He calls it “certification as a service.”

Palta enables brands and retailers to meet the needs of the 1.6 billion people with disabilities, through data research, community participation and innovative design methodology.

“Our technology assists brands that want to be more inclusive, and helps customers who want to buy clothing that fits their needs. This saves them time, creates independence and makes them comfortable with the shopping experience.”

More than 50 organizations around the world recognize Palta’s certification criteria and have partnered with Palta to enhance the availability of inclusive fashion. Palta also provides personalized shopping guidance for people with disabilities.

Senior is now seeking investors to support the launch of Palta’s search engine. For more information, or to sign up for an inclusive fashion newsletter, click here.