Disabled people love fashion! We like to get dressed up and express ourselves through different garments. It’s a key part of disability culture that deserves to be amplified. In fact I didn’t get into fashion until after I lost my eyesight. Growing up, I was just a jeans and t-shirt type of girl and didn’t put too much effort into what I wore. But after I lost my eyesight, I really started to explore different colors, patterns and textures. In college, my peers always wanted to know where I got my clothes, accessories and shoes.
One of our favorite things about disability pride month is the opportunity to highlight incredible disabled folks and normalize disability culture. It pushes back against the lack of mainstream media representation of disability within specific industries like beauty and fashion. That’s why I want to take some time to introduce two disabled women doing amazing work within the fashion industry. These individuals aren’t just stylish but they’re also doing the work to make sure disabled folks are taking space within an industry that’s been historically exclusionary.
Stephanie Thomas
Stephanie Thomas is a phenomenal woman and a leading lady in fashion, accessibility, and advocacy. Stephanie has been talking about adaptive clothing since 1992. In those early days, her biggest goal was to make it easier for people, especially those with disabilities, to put on and take off clothes. She asked three questions: “Is the clothing accessible?”, “Is the clothing smart?”, and “Is the clothing fashionable?” These three questions, along with ten years of research, were the foundation for Cur8able and the Disability Fashion Styling System.
Stephanie herself is a congenital amputee and knows firsthand that adaptive clothing is a huge issue. Her Disability Fashion Styling System is based on accessibility, safety and style. She uses the Styling System to make sure her clients can express themselves through fashion. You can learn more about Stephanie Thomas on social media and her company Cur8able which highlights other gorgeous fashionable women with disabilities.
Sinéad Burke
If there was just one word I could use to describe Sinéad Burke, it would be iconic. Sinéad Burke is a queer Irish little person leading a lot of the fashion advocacy conversations around disability and is doing it in the best wardrobe. She is the first little person to be invited to the Met Gala, all while rocking a custom bow-embellished velvet dress from Gucci’s Cruise Collection. But Burke wasn’t just there to serve looks, she actually led the famous Anna Wintour through an accessibility audit of the venue– a major step forward for the disability community.
Burke’s advocacy work began when she created a blog around fashion and disability which has since grown into her consultancy Tilting The Lens. In 2018, she sat next to Edward Enninful at a fashion show and after complimenting him on his work at British Vogue challenged him to start thinking about disability. This relationship created space for her to become a contributing editor at British Vogue writing about disability. She is also the first little person to be featured on a Vogue cover. And, this past May, she shared the British Vogue cover with four other amazing disabled folks. May 2023 British Vogue prioritized accessibility by providing audio and braille versions of the content. There are so many other cool things to know about Burke so make sure you’re following her on all socials to stay updated.
What’s Next
I know I only introduced a couple of disabled women in fashion but there are so many other incredible individuals that I invite you to read up on this disability pride month. One of those people being our very own Andraéa LaVant who has created a platform for the LaVant Consulting, Inc team to host an accessible and inclusive runway show this fall in Los Angeles. Andraéa is passionate about her mission to create more accessible spaces for people with disabilities in any space. She’s also a Fashionista herself!
Want to join in the fun? The I Am Inclusive Runway Show will feature people from diverse backgrounds which includes people with disabilities both on the runway and behind the scenes. The model casting call for the runway show will be Sunday, August 6 from 10 AM to 1 PM Pacific time in Los Angeles California. There are no requirements other than being over 18 to participate in the Runway show. To get involved with the show or just to stay updated, make sure you’re following LaVant Consulting Inc. on all social platforms.
