Care+Wear Announces Launch of Its First-Ever Scrubs Collection for Healthcare Professionals, Created in Collaboration with Josie Natori
After a year that pushed healthcare workers and clinicians to the brink, ground- breaking healthwear company Care+Wear and venerated luxury fashion designer Josie Natori joined in a new partnership to debut medically-superior scrubs that support frontline workers. The scrubs were designed with input from nearly 100 clinicians, medical professionals and commercial launderers to create a premium product at an everyday price. Designed through the lens of a fashion designer with over 40 years of experience creating ready-to-wear and loungewear, the scrubs are built for comfort and prove fashion and function can thrive in unison.
Founded in 2014 to create a more human healthcare experience, Care+Wear works to promote dignity, style and comfort through the creation of thoughtful products designed in collaboration with clinicians, patients, designers and manufacturers. Care+Wear products are used in more than 80 hospital and government systems globally, including the Mayo Clinic, Mass General Brigham, Kaiser Permanente and more. The House of Natori was founded in 1977, and each of the Natori brand collections reflects the designer’s distinctive East/West aesthetic, with products ranging from loungewear, lingerie and sleepwear to accessories, home textiles and shoes.
“Our mission has always been to reimagine how the world looks at and feels about healthcare and to improve the lives of those with chronic or long-term illnesses by creating innovative products allowing individuals to feel less like patients and more like people,” said Chaitenya Razdan, founder and CEO of Care+Wear. “Since the introduction of our first product, we have established strong relationships with clinicians, incorporating them into our proprietary design process. In the face of the pandemic, we were honored to strengthen those existing relationships, and step up to provide critical PPE to frontline workers. We are in awe of these nurses and doctors who work around the clock, risking their lives to ensure the health and safety of others, without a second thought for their own comfort.”
The Care+Wear x N Natori collaboration features men’s and women’s lines of scrubs, both of which are available in a variety of colors. Both lines include an entry top, a scrubs top or tops, an under-scrubs top, a tapered pant and a jogger pant. Some of the innovated elements that bridge functionality and style include zippered and double-layered pockets that accommodate clinical tablets and iPads; reinforced necklines to prevent the top from gaping at the chest; tops designed to be tucked in and stay in place and moisture-wicking fabrics. The collaboration also features a women’s scrub hat in four patterns and a unisex scrub hat in solid colors and one pattern.
“When I saw how the COVID-19 pandemic was taking a disproportionate toll on healthcare workers, many of Filipino descent like myself, I was determined to find a creative way to give back to my community and my culture while creating a project that helped sup- port those who are committed to helping all of us each and every day,” said Josie Natori, founder and CEO of The Natori Company.
In the United States alone, medical scrubs are currently a $10 billion market, and by 2028, the global market is set to surpass $140 billion. Nonetheless, for the nation’s largest employment sector, little has been done to innovate the typically uncomfortable and impractical uniforms that healthcare workers spend every day wearing.
“I had heard amazing things about Care+Wear and the company’s ability to make an impact on the community. That’s why I teamed up with Care+Wear to enter the medical apparel space for the very first time, to expand our mission to change how the world looks at and feels about fashion, and to create a product that allows those on the frontlines to both look good and feel good,” said Natori. “Scrubs is the latest addition to The Natori Company’s portfolio to highlight the harmony between fashion and function. It is our way to say thank you to the frontline healthcare heroes working around the clock for the health of our communities.”
