Fashion + Disability
When it comes to diversity within fashion we often hear about things like gender, body size and ethnicity, but what about disability? For people with a disability finding even basic clothes that fit, let alone being ‘fashionable’, can be an insurmountable challenge. Our Fashion + Disability campaign aims to explore the fashion needs, wants and experiences of people with disabilities and truly hear them out. In investigating this topic, we want to really uncover things that we ourselves may never have thought about before; putting ourselves in the shoes of others, listening to their stories and sharing them with others. We want to open minds and see the world through new perspectives.
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Fashion, Disability and Barbie: From Damaging to Diverse
A generation of underrepresentation? In a world of Instagram and photoshop, the lines between online and offline reality are becoming blurred; why can’t we see something from the real world for once? Fashion and disability is something that we don’t discuss enough, and Barbie are beginning to catch on… Disability and finding accessible fashion are ongoing issues, never mind the underrepresentation that comes along with it for disabled persons. Representation is the key word here. And believe it or not, Barbie has a big part to play regarding this matter. Barbie was once a part of these unachievable beauty standards we are constantly faced with, depicting only tall and slim…
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Does the Fashion Industry Neglect Disability?
Fashion is a huge industry and is so embedded into our daily lives even if we do not necessarily notice it. Fashion is everywhere on television adverts, billboards, magazines, and many more platforms, and over the years has sparked various questions as to whether the fashion industry is bias to certain stereotypes. Disabled people for many years have been ignored in mainstream fashion and in the year 2020, it should be something celebrated and expressed through fashion and fashion marketing. It is prominent that from mainstream fashion brands websites, and social media pages that their content clearly does not tailor the disabled community, as in many cases there is zero…
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Adaptions needed within the Fashion Industry to help those with Visual Impairment
According to RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People) more than two million people in the UK live with sight loss. This seems a staggering statistic and since visual impairment could affect anyone, an accessibility to shop for oneself would seem a simple freedom most would expect to have. However, there is an evident lack of accessibility within the fashion industry. People suffering from sight loss cannot simply walk into a high-street store and buy an item of clothing without the help of another person and this independence will not be available unless the fashion industry adapts. The changes that need to be made in stores Tags and labels do…
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An untapped market
Key issue at hand… Fashion is a universal way for people to express themselves, so there should be no such thing as an untapped market within the media. A key market has been left out for years and it’s time for their voices to be heard. Disabled individuals have a hard time finding clothing that fits to their catered needs. They end up having to purchase ghastly clothing that is not proportionate to their body type. Not only this, but there is a lack of representation in the media. Brands need to take responsibility and begin to cater to the disabled. What is “perfection”? Representation is such an important factor…
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It’s All About Inclusion
Over 1 billion people of the world’s population are diagnosed with some form of disability. Almost 20% of working age adults in the UK are disabled, according to the British Disability Quality Charity Scope. Yet despite this, disabled people have long been ignored and excluded from the fashion industry. The fashion industry might be quick when it comes to trends, but it is slow to represent people of different abilities. Disabilities come in various forms which can demand several specific clothing needs, such as adjustable waists, one hand zips, magnetic closures, and extended openings. For example, buttons can be difficult for those with dexterity issues and regular cut trousers can…
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Ellie Goldstein: the New Face of Fashion
One of the biggest compliments you could give the fashion industry is that it can change perceptions. It can be the voice for change throughout the world. Fashion is giving the disabled community a platform for the first time and at last, there is hope, hope that we may just be approaching a level playing field. A change embraced by all in an attempt to bring those with disabilities to the table when it comes to fashion. It has not been commonplace for brands to put their head above the parapet in this way. It’s an attempt to change the status quo in their area of work. The appointment of…
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How YouTuber Molly Burke Is Making Fashion More Accessible
As a YouTuber, motivational speaker and fashion lover who also happens to be blind, Molly Burke is an advocate for accessibility in the blind community. After being diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa as a young child and eventually losing all her sight at 14, Burke’s interest in style and beauty only grew. She often explains to people that not being able to see what she wears or the makeup she uses doesn’t change her love of style. Burke enjoys creating fun, colourful looks to match her playful personality. While her fashion sense remains impeccable, what has changed since Burke lost her sight is how she puts her looks together. For Molly, being blind means…
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A disabled spokesperson in the fashion industry, a heart show from the inside out
For a long time, we have been accustomed to those angelic faces and devil figures that appeared in magazines, runways, and television. They stand at the forefront of the trend, attract lots of attention, look exquisite and perfect, seeming far away from our impression of “disabled”. However, disability is just one of the diversities in our world. It is our prejudice that sharply contrasts disability with the concepts of fashion, beauty, and fashion. Ignoring disability in the fashion field is like turning a blind eye to the elephant in the room. Now we are pleasantly surprised to see that the fashion industry’s single aesthetic standard and the public are being…
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How the fashion industry ignores disabilities
Dolls Kill are an online fashion brand specialising clothes and styles suitable for the self confessed ‘misfits’ and ‘miss legits’. But recently the brand have found themselves in the firing line of some criticism. From cultural insensitivity, racism and ableism – does the fashion industry do enough to cater to people with disabilities? Dolls Kill controversy Dolls Kill reached out to an influencer for a partnership wherein they would send her clothes in exchange for promotion. The woman states they rescinded the offer after realising she is in a wheelchair. Dolls Kill informed her that they didn’t need any more participants and the issue was dropped. It was only when…
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Designing for Disabilities: The Rise of Adaptive Fashion
Abled does not mean enabled. Disabled does not mean less abled. Khang Kijarro Nguyen Over the past few years, there has been a huge rise in demand for ‘adaptive fashion’. Adaptive fashion is “clothing specifically designed for those with disabilities and chronic conditions.” We’ve seen this on runways, across social media, and in magazines. Previously, there was always a lack of inclusion for those with disabilities in the world of fashion, however, now there is global awareness of making everyBODY feel worthy of the runway. Owning the modelling industry Particularly, there have been a tremendous amount of models who have broke the non-inclusive mould by sharing their disability stories with…
