Tanyel Mustafa
Published November 24, 2025 8:00am
Share this article via whatsappShare this article via xCopy the link to this article.Link is copiedShare this article via facebook
Comment now
Comments
Impact and purpose are what drive Hanan Tantush (Picture: Hanan Tantush)
Listen to article
Listen to article
Your browser does not support the audio element.
Hanan Tantush, 23, couldn’t stand to watch her recovering grandad struggle to find clothes that didn’t irritate his stoma bag, so she started looking for solutions. The catch? There were none.
Hanan began making clothes for herself from the age of 10, one of the reasons being that she (later found out) is neurodivergent and would often be irritated by the feeling of high street clothes.
She’s also always loved fashion. So, when she found there weren’t suitable adaptive clothing options for her grandad, aged 83, who had a stoma fitted after bladder cancer treatment, she started investigating that line of clothing.
‘My grandad has been unlucky enough to have cancer multiple times, and when I was 16, he had to have a stoma procedure and ostomy bag,’ she tells Metro.
‘He’s a resilient man and would normally bounce back, but this was a totally different battle for him. When he returned home, he really struggled with clothing as one of the big things. He was trying to readjust and learn to accept the ostomy bag, but it was consistently causing problems with his clothing and is directly on his waistband.
‘He was told to wear jogging bottoms, but he would never be seen outside of the house in jogging bottoms.’
Hanan and her grandad (Picture: Hanan Tantush)
When Hanan became a fashion student two years later, she knew she wanted to focus on adaptive fashion and started planting the seeds for what would become her own brand, Intotum.
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Up Next
Previous Page Next PageNot everyone was on board with the idea, though. She claims a lecturer told her, ‘Disabled people don’t need fashion’.
‘This was a turning point for me – I never expected someone to think that way or say it. It summed up how much disabled people are excluded,’ she says.
‘It drove me when they said that to me. I was so upset. It filled me with rage and passion to keep moving forward. When they said this, Intotum was nowhere near a business, and it was a moment where I wanted to prove them wrong. I had feedback from people who wanted this brand so I knew this lecturer was wrong in their assumptions.’
Clothing from Hanan’s latest collection (Picture: Hanan Tantush)
Starting out with a studio in Cheshire and the initial security of £20,000 funding won from the London Mayer Eutrenpeneur Competition, she began designing her first collection and presented it at London Fashion Week in 2023, which opened doors.
This meant more brand visibility, networking opportunities, and building trust among potential customers, who have to rely on that when there isn’t a physical store. Soon, she began selling custom orders.
So how does adaptive clothing work? Imagine if you sit down in a pair of jeans: it digs in and is uncomfortable. Now, imagine for a wheelchair user what it’s like to feel that all the time.
Hanan speaking on a panel (Picture: Hanan Tantush)
This is the example Hanan uses for people who are new to adaptive clothing. It’s not just the fabric and trims that are adjusted to be easier to touch and use, it’s also the way the clothing is cut – in the instance of trousers, they’re lower at the front and higher at the back, so they don’t cut into the stomach or sink lower when sat down.
‘I decided I had to fix this problem myself and start my business by prepping while I was studying, so I was attending business sessions to learn how to get things off the ground,’ she says.
Hanan interviewed people about what they needed from their clothing. Her first collection was for wheelchair users, and from that point she expanded.
‘People can see the impact of what we’re creating and it makes life easier for disabled and chronically ill people. It makes me emotional because so many think of business as a numbers game, but for me it’s about impact and purpose.
Hanan is passionate that everyone should have accessible fashion options (Picture: Hanan Tantush)
‘I’m not going to pretend business isn’t hard and that you don’t work extremely long hours, but it’s rewarding when you get good feedback.’
People often reach out to share how much the clothing has improved their day-to-day quality of life, and that keeps Hanan focused.
Reviews online include: ‘Intotum really take into consideration what people with access needs actually need, rather than making what they think we need.’
This year, Hanan relocated her studio to London after being awarded a free space for two years by the London Fashion District, as she was constantly commuting to London for meetings. Her plan now is to really build up the business.
Her recent collection made £20,000 from hundreds of orders, and she sold out multiple lines of clothing.
More Trending
-
I saw a business opportunity as a student and now turnover £120,000 a year
Channel: Money Money 22 hours ago By Tanyel Mustafa - I found the ultimate pair of loafers you don’t need to break in
- Martin Lewis says Premium Bonds aren't worth it for the 'vast majority' of UK savers
- Struggling to dry your clothes this winter? This heated airer is the hack you need
Now she has just launched a new collection, which includes workwear. ‘It’s adaptive fashion, not clothing that looks medical,’ she explains, adding that everyone wants access to nice clothing that they feel good in.
‘Traditionally with clothing, often people don’t try things on until it’s already designed and on a rail or at a show, but we have so many check in points which makes it much more costly. We are genuinely innovating in the space,’ Hanan says.
And as for her grandad, he thinks her business ‘is an amazing opportunity for disabled people to look fantastic’.
Deals of the Day
The sell-out suitcase that means you'll never be left with stale clothes again
Breakdown drama? There’s an app for that – and it gets you help in minutes
Pack 60% more with these cubes that sell every 2 mins – and travel smarter, not heavier
Shoppers say 'after 1 week, skin looks brighter, hydrated and glowy' as moisturiser works
Sick of shaving? This at-home device will save you hundreds on hair removal
As the orders come in, though Hanan is hard at work, she can sit back for a moment with a smile on her face and remember this: she did indeed prove that lecturer wrong.
Do you have a story to share?
Get in touch by emailing [email protected].
Arrow MORE: I saw a business opportunity as a student and now turnover £120,000 a year
Arrow MORE: How to handle Black Friday like a pro: 10 tips to make your spending count
Arrow MORE: Where to Invest: how this company uses AI to maximise your savings
Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source The SliceYour free newsletter guide to the best London has on offer, from drinks deals to restaurant reviews.
Postcode ? DOB ? Email I agree to receive newsletters from Metro I agree to receive newsletters from Metro Sign UpSign UpThis site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy
