100. Recondition Co-designed with disabled fashion-lovers, Recondition’s adaptive clothing pairs runway style with real-world accessibility. Written by The Startups Team Sponsored by Sage Published on January 12, 2026 About the Startups 100 Now in its 18th year, the Startups 100 is the definitive list of the most promising new UK businesses. There's no fee for entry or for inclusion in our index. The Startups team of new business experts judge all our top 100 entrants in collaboration with specialist industry consultants. See our guide to this year’s hottest new businesses and most exceptional founders in the complete 2026 Startups 100 index. Founder: Ellie BrownYear founded: 2023Website: reconditionmcr.comTry this entrepreneur origin story on for size.In 2021, Ellie Brown broke her ankle. During her recovery, she realised that what had previously been simple, thoughtless tasks, like putting on socks or buttoning a shirt, had turned into time-consuming and frustrating challenges.It was a momentary glimpse into what life is often like for people with disabilities — the available products and services aren’t usually designed for you, and even when they are, they’re not serving you well enough. As Brown, a fashion design graduate, puts it, today’s adaptive clothing lines are “often clinical, unattractive, or unaffordable”.Galvanised, Brown rolled up her sleeves and set out to change that by starting Recondition, a clothing brand to finally answer the unmet design needs of millions of disabled customers.Together with a fitting group of six disabled fashion-lovers, Brown has co-designed items that she describes as “ensuring real-world functionality, while remaining fashion-forward and size-inclusive”.Still building its early customer base, the company is starting with denim, a material with broad appeal that Brown cannily views as a stepping stone to scale up.As a young founder with no manufacturing experience or funding, Brown faced her hurdles.“Suppliers were hesitant to work with an untested brand, and minimum order quantities felt impossible,” she recalls. “I was learning everything from scratch: fundraising, building supply chains, and proving credibility in an industry that often overlooks disability-focused design.”It wasn’t easy. But Brown managed to find partners and backing through a savvy mix of accelerators, UK support networks, and startup competitions. Notable funding sources include an Innovate UK grant and a successful crowdfunding campaign last July.In August 2025, Recondition launched its first adaptive denim product at London Fashion Week — a pair of jeans with clever accessibility features like easily-reachable pockets, and pull tabs for family members or carers. It was a landmark moment for Brown.“After years of research, co-design with disabled people, and overcoming startup hurdles, seeing our jeans come to life was a huge milestone,” she recalls. “It proved that accessible, stylish clothing doesn’t just exist in concept — it can be made, marketed, and celebrated.” I was learning everything from scratch: fundraising, building supply chains, and proving credibility in an industry that often overlooks disability-focused design. Recondition’s product lines may be small, but the Manchester-based business has big ambitions for the next half-decade.“We will be a leading inclusive fashion brand in the UK, with a full adaptive clothing range, thriving community events, and international reach,” says Brown. Watch this space.View the full Startups 100 Index for 20261. Omnea2. HIVED3. MAGIC AI4. OXCCU5. Lightyear6. Neuranics 7. Hormona8. Burbank9. Better Dairy 10. Lenkie Technologies11. Userled12. Hoxton Farms13. Rensair14. PulpaTronics15. TradeKart16. 32Co17. Carmoola18. cheqd19. Sightline Analytics20. Adamo Foods21. Bold Bean Co22. Beams Renovation 23. Pan Galactic24. Capi Money25. Spotted Zebra26. ANTHROTEK 27. Unravel28. Perci Health29. Untap Health30. Hair Syrup31. Connect Earth 32. spacebands 33. Unfabled34. Lightning Reach35. STOCKED36. Embeddable37. XR Therapeutics38. Literal Labs39. Scooch40. Openr41. Fibe Limited42. Inicio AI43. Peachies44. Better Nature 45. Ctrl Alt46. Resting Reef47. Nila48. ROXFIT49. 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Recondition Share this post facebook twitter linkedin Tags 2026 Written by: The Startups Team Sponsored by: Sage Startups 100 Index Sponsor 2026 Sage exists to knock down barriers so everyone can thrive, starting with the millions of Small and Mid-Sized Businesses served by us, our partners and accountants. Customers trust our finance, HR and payroll software to make work and money flow. By digitising business processes and relationships with customers, suppliers, employees, banks and governments, our digital network connects SMBs, removing friction and delivering insights. Knocking down barriers also means we use our time, technology and experience to tackle digital inequality, economic inequality and the climate crisis.