Fracture Club: Adaptive Apparel Designed at Northwestern Kellogg, Top 50 at Baylor New Venture Competition

Fracture Club started in Evanston, Illinois, inside Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, where innovation, design, and community intersect. We are a social-impact driven startup building adaptive apparel and comfort products for people recovering from injury or living with limited mobility. Our designs prioritize independence, dignity, and ease, especially for users who dress one-handed, have restricted shoulder movement, or navigate physical therapy and post-surgical recovery.

At Kellogg, we leverage the Maker’s Lab, Media Lab, and The Garage startup community to prototype clothing that works in real bodies and real recovery moments. Our flagship demos feature magnetic closures integrated into the shoulder line, allowing sweatshirts and jackets to open without overhead pulling or traditional front zippers. This design decision has resonated deeply with orthopedic surgeons, physical therapists, patients, and caregivers across Chicago and the greater Midwest rehabilitation ecosystem.

In 2025, Fracture Club was selected as a Top 50 team at the Baylor New Venture Competition and advancing to second round, one of the largest student-led startup competitions in the world. This achievement validates both our business potential and our mission. Baylor’s entrepreneurial stage celebrates ventures that scale with purpose, and Fracture Club stands at that same intersection: a consumer brand with engineering intelligence and social impact embedded into every product decision.

We are currently growing partnerships with physical therapy clinics, hospitals, mobility and medical supply partners, and recovery communities across the Chicago area, including joint initiatives and co-marketing collaborations. Our first major fundraiser this winter, Bears Care: Holiday Comfort Drive, brings comfort companions to patients while fueling future adaptive design development. Even a single purchase or Jersey magnet prototype tested in Chicago recovery centers contributes to building clothing that restores independence, especially when mobility is most limited.

Chicago is a city that moves, climbs, heals, and rebuilds. From rehab clinics along the lakefront to outpatient therapy centers across Evanston and downtown hospitals to suburban adaptive communities, we continue optimizing distribution, SEO, and geographic relevance so that anyone searching for recovery apparel, adaptive design, or injury support can find us. We are building not just clothing, but a movement of support, comfort, and belonging for every stage of healing.