Written by: Christine Garcia 

Susanne Shoemaker is the founder of Undercare, a company that creates accessible undergarments for those that have difficulty getting into regular ones or wearing them. However, her background did not start in clothing. 

Susanne majored in English and Fine Art while in college and later ended up working as an editorial proofreader in New York City. It was a day at the pool that introduced her to the world of undergarments and clothing. As she was getting out of the pool she saw two elderly women struggling to get dressed. She felt as though they deserved to have an easier option and thus, got to designing. 

Susanne’s first design was essentially “by a woman for women” and consisted of “wrap and fasten with soft velcro so that you do not need to bend, balance, or stand on one leg.” Essentially, the way it works is that instead of putting the clothing on one leg at a time, as one would traditionally do, the entire piece falls completely apart which allows for the person to simply “wrap it around [their] waist and attach it like a belt to hold it in place….then [they can] just pull the panel through [their] legs, and attach it on the right and left sides.” After a while, Susanne soon realized that this product could not only apply to women, but to men and children as well. She even says, “starting a business is much more than coming up with a good idea, you have to become incorporated and think about the business side.” For this reason, she spent a great amount of time attending different programs through different incubators including the Verizon-sponsored program through Queens College at the Tech Incubator. Through this program she has learned to effectively use social media as a marketing tool for her products by working with a team.

While her business does not have a specific mission statement, Susanne ultimately hopes to deliver a sense of independence to those who use her undergarments as they will be able to spend less time getting dressed, and more time living their lives freely. She notes that the timing for this has also been great as more attention has recently been paid to the “underserved community of the disabled.”