Special clothes for special people

Creating a clothing line for people with Down syndrome has been an overwhelming task but a true labor of love for Karen Bowersox of Mentor, Ohio. She has created Downs Designs, a line of clothing specially fit for people with Down syndrome. Her inspiration is her granddaughter, Maggie, who was born with Down syndrome. 

"As I watch her grow, I see the challenges her mother faces in finding clothes that fit her appropriately," Bowsersox says.

Her journey began when Maggie was four years old. 

"One day while visiting my daughter, she planted the idea in my head to start a clothing line for people with Down syndrome. At first I laughed at the thought, after all what did I know about clothing? How could I possibly do something like this, I was already running my husband’s busy medical practice, and couldn’t imagine fitting one more thing into my day.

"I spent hours online looking for clothes that would fit my granddaughter, surely there must be someone doing this already. But my search came up empty. The wheels were in motion and I couldn’t get the thought out of my head. At first I thought that I could purchase clothes and alter them, but it didn’t take long to realize that this was not the solution. Attempting to alter existing clothes did not solve the clothing problems of a person with Down syndrome. The need for actually creating a special line of clothing seemed like the only answer."

Read more about Downs Designs at 

Cleveland.com.