THE POWER OF THE PURPLE POUND

Urges For The Fashion Industry To Adopt More Adaptive Fashion

Blending fashion and function to create specialised clothing, adaptive fashion makes getting dressed easier, convenient, and pain-free for those living with disabilities. With Purple, a user-led disability organisation, estimating the spending power of disabled households at £247 billion a year in the UK, it is undeniable that adaptive clothing has a home within the fashion industry. Founder of adaptivewear brand, Unhidden, Victoria Jenkins described a ‘lightbulb moment’ as she was diagnosed with a disability in 2016, realising the need for universal designs: “1 billion people around the world need it and have been completely left out of the fashion conversation,” She added: “The UK is so far behind in terms if inclusive design, but we are growing and we are passionate.” From silk shirts and wrap tops to dresses and the brand’s best-selling trousers (available in both seated and standing options), Jenkins states her modern adaptive designs include adaptations that “are not especially noticeable, with a host of extra considerations that make them work for everyone - disabled or not.”

‘It is a basic human right to be able to get dressed.’

- Victoria Jenkins, Founder of Unhidden Clothing

Disability equality charity in England and Wales, Scope, reported that there are 14.1 million people living with a disability in the UK. The entrepreneur stresses the issue of not being able to dress for work, interviews and social gatherings, creates further segregation: “Fashion has been a barrier to jobs, to equity, to inclusion for so many and I don’t think that is defensible.” Pathing the way for the fashion industry to adopt more adaptive clothing, Jenkins said: “We can do so much within fashion and there is no excuse for not using all these years of technical advancement for everyone’s’ best interest.” Fashion Design and Development student at the London College of Fashion, Chamiah Dewey also identified the gap in the market for adaptive fashion, which led her to founding the UK’s first clothing brand for short stature people. The Hampshire-born designer stressed the alienation of short stature people from the fashion industry: “Without positive representations of them in mainstream media, the abuse, disrespect and fetishisation of them continues.” The brand Director continued by saying: “With positive representation we can create a more accepting and educated world, bridging those gaps between the

stereotypical fashion industry that favours very slim white women, and the rest!” Entertainment journalist and BBC Guest Editor, Myra Ali was born with rare condition, Epidermolysis Bullosa, that causes the skin to become very fragile. Ali said: “Women of colour [living with a disability] are definitely underrepresented, and in the past people have felt that we have been used as tokens.” The London-based journalist stressed the importance of female representation within the fashion industry: “It’s important for every woman, disability or not, to see themselves represented; and for brands that actually has a positive effect because it makes them look good that they are including every single person.”

‘If you associate disability with fashion, the only result is positive because a disabled model will be amongst other models doing exactly the same thing.’

- Myra Ali, Entertainment Journalist

Urging fashion brands to begin using models with disabilities in their campaigns, she continued: “It shouldn’t be a oneoff thing that gets a lot of attention; the more we do it, the more it should stop being in the media and that’s kind of what people want.” Black visually impaired disabilities activist, Abi James-Miller feels that the current industry framework is oppressive rather than promoting individuality: “It’d be great to feel more recognized, while the fashion industry is aiming for inclusivity in a lot of areas, they forget or woefully ignore the biggest minority — disabled people.” Also working as Campaigns Officer at The Disability Union, James-Miller regularly feels forced to pick between being Black or being disabled: “As a now proud black disabled woman working in the media industry, in terms of the diversity narrative in the fashion, beauty and media industry, I have struggled feeling empowered in terms of both of my identities and finding representation that encompass my ‘whole identity’.”

Founder of Ran By Nature, an athleisure brand advocating for human rights, Bryna Chrismas is creating circularity both sustainably and inclusively. She said: “True inclusivity means including diverse underrepresented groups from the design, development and testing of the product, and then making sure these profits go back to the groups that need it most.”

Adaptive fashion designer, Kat Paylor-Bent, founded Seated Sewing to offer a bespoke service to the disabled community after struggling to shop, due to the lack of adaptive collections on the high street. The CEO said: “They [brands] need to consult with the community and ask us what we want, don't assume you know after flicking through some medical literature, we are as individual as you and want choice!” The Durham-based inclusive seamstress urged for more representation of those living with disabilities: “I want to see more disabled designers recruited by big brands, more adaptive fashion on the runway and onto the high street, I want to see more disabled models used across all forms of media.” Scope’s campaigns work to create a fairer society, change attitudes, and end injustice, the charity’s Media Manager, Warren Kirwan, said the fashion industry is slowly waking up to the fact that those living with a disability want to buy and wear fashionable clothes: “It’s great when brands create adaptable clothing ranges that actively tap into the disabled consumer market.” Moving forward, Kirwan emphasises the desire to see more brands take a lead and challenge attitudes towards disability by making fashion accessible: “This will ultimately give designers, manufacturers and retailers the opportunity to enjoy a slice of this Purple Pound.” In order for society’s perception of disabilities to occur, Jenkins affirms it goes far back to education, with universities teaching inclusive designs and brands hiring disabled consultants so they can include the entire breadth of disability – “But hiring disabled models as a standard is step one for sure - they can’t do it once and then never again, we have seen how badly that plays out with other marginalised groups.”