Jam The Label, a pioneering brand for accessible and inclusive fashion in Australia, will close down after eight years, saying that continuing operations is unviable.

Jam The Label was founded in 2019 by former disability support workers Emma Clegg and Molly Rogers, creating clothes designed for people with disabilities, part of the “adaptive fashion” sector.

But the founders said that this sector “just isn’t where it needs to be” for Jam The Label to succeed. “We’ve made the difficult decision to close this chapter and won’t be creating any new products,” they added in a social media post.

Clegg and Rogers said “this definitely isn’t the outcome we wanted”, adding that they used to picture “big things” for the future of the company.

“We have put our heart and soul into Jam, but it is tough for small businesses to carry a clothing category and educate a whole market,” they said.

Jam The Label grew its business to ship its products internationally while making frequent appearances on runways and at festivals. The government’s National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) helped fund part of its growth.

“We are still incredibly passionate about the inclusion of people with disability, so we’ve been struggling to make this decision for a while,” the founders added.

“But it became even more evident when we both welcomed babies this year that we need to prioritise our families at the moment and are therefore unable to continue giving Jam the time and effort it requires.”

The statement ended by calling for a “bigger stage and voice” for adaptive fashion in Australia, saying that the work is not yet done.