What is Welowela

Welowela is a business, created to provide clothing specifically designed to meet the unique needs of anyone, who experiences limited mobility. Welowela was conceived through the combined effort of three women, two daughters and a mom, who experienced first-hand the necessity for clothing which would meet the needs of those with physical impairment and dexterity issues.

Initially, Johanna a dentist and mom of four had been practicing dentistry in Orange County. After a few years she decided to enter into uncharted waters and buy out a
private practice which catered to homebound patients. Home Care Dentists, now active and thriving 12 years later brought the dentist to the patient. As Johanna traveled through many care homes and facilities she saw first-hand the struggle patients and their caregivers had, trying to ready their charges for a day of appointments. Many times the struggle to change clothing was too difficult, and the same gown would be worn that had been slept in, or even worn the day before. For Johanna this was heartbreaking, and she knew something had to change. The providers would often express their concern and difficulty which they encountered trying to dress their patients. To be honest Johanna became cognizant of the fact that even she and many of the families did not know that adaptive clothing existed. Because of that lack of knowledge, adaptive clothing was never explored. She also discovered that some healthcare providers did not always inform potential users about adaptive clothing. Johanna herself began to explore easy wear clothing for seniors and tucked away in the back of her mind that somehow someway, she felt that she needed to become proactive in meeting the clothing needs of her clients.

Entering into the picture came Marisa her younger sister. Marisa had graduated from San Diego State with her degree in International Business and Marketing, eventually graduating from USC with her Executive Masters in HealthCare Administration. With this education behind her, she was able to administer a Hospice Program in the greater San Diego area. Her experiences with this kind of patient care was both rewarding and heartbreaking. She saw so many patients, the same age as her own grandparents struggling with physical decline yet wanting to be independent. She noted that specific clothing which could have assisted with their physical needs was often not available. She continued doing her best to meet the specific needs of each individual with the assistance of the facilities she managed. Then Marisa’s life took on a different direction after she married the love of her life.

While wrapping up her degree at USC, she and one of her closest friends began sharing with one another the difficulty of finding beautiful, crafted swimwear that was both chic, and full coverage. Against, all guidance she decided to take the plunge and build swimwear. After constantly joking about wearing her workout clothes to the pool (seriously), she decided to stop settling for less and started designing for the style and performance that fit her and her partner’s lives and bodies. Enter Hermoza. Their company now six years old has proven to be quite successful. Still, in the back of her mind, remained her Hospice experiences and memories which would drive her next steps with her new given understanding of product creation.

In comes Mom, the third partner. Gayle was a teacher for 35 years. Her passion was 5th Graders. She called 5th Grade, “The Heavenly Years.” Never in a million years was the idea of adaptive clothing design or anything dealing with fashion, on her mind. All of that changed when her 84-year-old father was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. The diagnosis was devastating. To see a parent with this disease at any stage, is heart wrenching, for Johanna, Marisa and Gayle, it was life changing.

Welo, short for Abuelo, as he was called by all of his 36 grandchildren, and 80 great grandchildren, was in a huge struggle, much like that of Johanna’s patients and Marisa’s clients in the Hospice Program. Initially Welo grappled with dressing himself every day, sometimes taking more than an hour to put on a shirt or pants and even socks. Abuela, affectionally called Wela, stood by his side helping him dress himself for Church, visitors,
or dinner. No matter how badly he felt, he had to have a collared shirt with his jacket, sharp pants, matching socks and polished shoes, or he was just not complete. Christmas and birthday presents became a time of searching for clothing easy for him to put on, yet stylish enough for any occasion. Our options were running out.
 
 As his illness progressed and his needs increased all Welo wanted towards the end was clothing that was soft and luxurious. He’d say, “This is nice and soft, does it have buttons or zippers?” We’d scour store after store and bring our gifts him. He’d smile from the side of his mouth and say weakly, “How do I look?” The day before he died, he insisted that we help him dress for dinner which he could barely eat. Even though he was in so much pain and basically bedridden he cared about his appearance. To the end, Welo was handsome, sharp and stylishly put together.

Welowela was born from the story of our Abuelo and Abuela. Johanna, Marisa, and Gayle put their hearts and heads together and decided then and there to create an adaptive clothing line for seniors for anyone with mobility issues. They agreed that both functionality and style needed to fit a target audience without focusing solely on their limitations. After seeing the struggle of Abuelo, our dear Welo, these three women wanted to bring the ease of comfort, style and dignity to their adaptive clothing line.

Of course there is an Abuela in this story. She is also known as Wela, wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother of an impressive legacy. So...put two and two together, and the name Welowela was born, the affectionate name of a patriarch and matriarch. What better name could there be for our small, but blossoming company. The honor and inspiration which these two Abuelo’s evoke, and our dear Welo’s struggle in the end, has been the inspiration upon which this company is built. It is with honor that we provide only the best, most comfortable, stylish adaptive clothing. Welowela wouldn’t have it any other way.