On October 8th, 2023, our team hosted an incredible fashion experience in Los Angeles. The event titled, I AM, was an opportunity for our team to demonstrate accessibility throughout every aspect of the planning and execution of the show. The magical night included a red carpet, a cocktail hour with drinks and appetizers, and a full runway show. Although we always knew I AM would be a truly inclusive experience, we could not have imagined how beautiful it turned out. Our team is so honored that we had the privilege to put on an event that was truly the first of its kind. Here are some of our favorite moments of the whole I AM journey!
Diverse Designers with Meaningful Impact
The designers we showcased for I AM have values that truly align with our mission. All six designers demonstrate diversity, inclusion, belonging, and family. These are all qualities that really helped our team bring the I AM experience to life. We are so grateful for the designers who trusted us enough to come on this journey. The LCI team sends so much love to Kyle Denman, NYI (Not Your Inspiration), URTÜMUCH, Uprisers, and Rebirth Garments for your willingness and dedication to creating space within the fashion industry for all people. They all have incredible creativity and talent!
Reflecting The World Around US
As a disabled team led by women of color, it was imperative that our show represented historically marginalized groups. We wanted to make sure that this was achieved not only through our designers but our models going down the runway. That is why we opened our casting call up to everyone. We especially wanted to make sure that communities from groups such as BIPOC, LGBTQ, plus size and people with disabilities knew that I AM would be a space made for them. It was so incredible to hear from audience members in person and online that they really felt like they saw themselves going down the runway. They expressed that this was something that they had not really seen before at a fashion show.
Prioritizing Health and Safety
Sometimes, when we think about accessibility we tend to just focus on the technical and physical aspects of an event. But for LCI, we also know that the health and safety of others is especially important within the disability community. That is why we made sure to require masks indoors for in person attendees. We also provided a virtual join option for those who may not have been able to attend in person. All crew, including models and designers, were required to show proof of a negative Covid test before coming into work. Our team also put a lot of thought into the menu for the event which included dietary needs of models and staff throughout the entire day of the event.
Disability Inclusion on the Red Carpet
It has been such a joy to see more disability representation at major events in the last couple of years, but we would not be LaVant Consulting if we did not take that a little further. For our red carpet, our very own Carly Fahey acted as our media correspondent for the night. She did a phenomenal job, and our hope is that it is a step in the right direction for other events to include media hosts from the Disability Community. We also want to thank our friends over at Entertainment Interpreting for joining us on the red carpet and providing ASL for our Deaf and hard of hearing community.
Marrying Aesthetics with Accessibility
When it comes to accessibility, sometimes we can lose the aesthetics of it all because we’re so focused on things being functional. Which is not a bad thing– you never want to risk accessibility in order to make sure something looks beautiful. But it’s a major accomplishment when we can do both so seamlessly! We owe all of that to our event producer Danielle Jones of Elaine Marie Events who did an excellent job at listening to our input about the importance of accessibility while also making sure everything was gorgeous.
In collaboration with Danielle, we were able to incorporate ASL interpreting, captioning, audio description, wider pathways in between seats, a wheelchair accessible space, low turf for wheelchairs outside the venue, Covid safety and so much more. We have so much appreciation for her and her team for emphasizing the accessibility both in person and online for our virtual audiences. And if you missed witnessing her lovely work, check out some photos of how she absolutely brought the I AM vision to life.
Great Audience Interaction
The energy was so powerful and positive during the I AM: Inclusive Fashion Experience. Everyone seemed so excited to be there and it pushed the event to a higher level. The audience gave our models and designers so much love and appreciation. We loved that people were clapping, screaming, dancing and just enjoying themselves throughout the night. It also made our team feel good to see attendees taking pictures at all our photo ops and tagging us on social media. And the best part of the night was all the people coming up to us afterwards and asking how they can be a part of it next year. Our team could not ask for a better compliment!
Partnerships with Community Investment
LCI is profoundly grateful for all our partnerships including our sponsors who helped to contribute to such a memorable event. It was such an honor to work with companies such as Aerie, Slick Chicks, Entertainment Interpreting, and Guide Beauty. In addition to providing the 360-photo booth, swag for the gift bags, and showcasing a super cute collection in our runway show, Aerie was just such a joy to work with. They did not mind going the extra mile and even brought us tons of hangers from their store to help us stay organized with all the garments.
Entertainment Interpreting is one of our favorite teams to work with and we love working in collaboration with them. If you had an opportunity to catch the show, then you know their talented interpreters did an amazing job both in person and online for our virtual audience. Our friends at Guide Beauty in partnership with Troy Nankin provided all our hair/make up staff and I think we can all agree that our models looked stunning going down the runway.
Author and #DisabledAndCute hashtag creator Keah Brown gracefully hosted our virtual guests joining from home. We are so grateful for her and her energy! Know that you are loved by the whole LCI team!
For more BTS, highlights and pictures from the I AM Fashion Experience be sure to follow LaVant Consulting, Inc on social media! We cannot wait to tell you what we have cooking up next.
