Event Recap: Diversability Unplugged: Disability and Fashion

By Katherine Lewis, Content Manager at Diversability

February was all about Fashion for our monthly educational event. Diversability Unplugged: Disability and Fashion was a chance to highlight the exciting movement toward disability inclusion in the fashion industry. Our guests, who range from designers to content creators, spent the evening of February 16, 2022 discussing disability representation, the adaptive clothing movement, and a variety of other disability related topics in the fashion industry. Our panelists included Qaysean Williams (Fashion Designer), Marta Elena Cortez-Neavel (Abilitee), Lissie Cox (Content Creator), and Poppy Fields and Yasmin Keats (Open Style Lab).

Diversability’s Marie Dagenais-Lewis kicked off the evening by welcoming attendees and sharing more about Diversability’s work. She, as well as the panelists then briefly introduced themselves before diving into the evening’s topics. 

Discussion Overview

To begin the evening’s discussion, panelists shared their stories - specifically what led them to the fashion industry. Answers ranged from having personal experiences with fashion excluding their disabled body and wanting to change that reality to having combined their interest in fashion with other work they already did and recognizing a growing interest in adaptive fashion.

Panelists then spent the majority of the session discussing their personal experiences with disability and traditional fashion, the significance of discovering adaptive fashion, and becoming part of the movement themselves. Many shared a connecting theme of having struggled with traditional fashion themselves and a deep seated desire to have and create clothing that fit different bodies beautifully. They shared the defining moment they chose to become adaptive/universal fashion trailblazers and the events that led to the decision. Panelists also shared common misconceptions about adaptive/universal fashion, what the differences are, and why the distinction is important.

The evening ended with panelists sharing how they believe traditional fashion brands can do better to design for all bodies and how embracing adaptive/universal fashion benefits all. Attendees then had the opportunity to ask specific questions of each panelist and gain additional insight. 

Watch a replay of the event on YouTube and continue the conversation in our online community.