{"id":82506,"date":"2023-12-03T10:21:26","date_gmt":"2023-12-03T10:21:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/posterboyedit.com\/?p=82506"},"modified":"2023-12-03T10:21:26","modified_gmt":"2023-12-03T10:21:26","slug":"i-want-to-design-clothes-for-all-we-speak-to-the-brand-breaking-down-disability-barriers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/posterboyedit.com\/lifestyle\/i-want-to-design-clothes-for-all-we-speak-to-the-brand-breaking-down-disability-barriers\/","title":{"rendered":"I want to design clothes for all \u2013 we speak to the brand breaking down disability barriers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most of us take for granted everyday experiences like popping out to our local high street to buy a new outfit. However, it\u2019s not as easy as that for those who live with a disability. Sadly, this 24% of the UK population is still hugely underrepresented in the fashion industry, with many brands not yet offering adaptive clothing or featuring disabled models in their campaigns.<\/p>\n

Fashion designer Victoria Jenkins recognised this big gap in the market and launched her brand Unhidden in 2017. It\u2019s been her mission to tackle ableism and to offer disabled people the chance to feel included by offering stylish garments that have been adapted to individual medical needs.<\/p>\n

Not only is Victoria a garment technologist with 14 years of experience in the fashion industry, but she became disabled in her twenties after she was diagnosed with multiple gastrointestinal conditions and chronic pain. This lived experience and her industry insight have proved to be key in helping the 38-year-old become CEO of her own successful brand. She is now also an ambassador for Models Of Diversity and Purple Tuesday, a global movement for improving the customer experience of disabled people and their families.<\/p>\n

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Victoria hopes her fashion brand will help break down barriers and give the disabled community equal privileges when it comes to style. \u201cEven though attitudes are changing, the industry still has a very long way to go,\u201d she says…<\/p>\n

Tell us about the patient who triggered the idea for launching your own fashion brand\u2026<\/b><\/p>\n

It was on one of my many hospital trips when I met this lady who was being treated for cancer. I noticed she had two stomas and a line in her arm, and she was there to have another one fitted in her chest. She was having to expose herself, with a huge team of doctors around her, so it wasn\u2019t very dignified. She also couldn\u2019t dress how she wanted to at work, at home or at social events, being restricted to jogging bottoms and T-shirts. I still hope one day that she sees one of these articles and reaches out, but she was pretty unwell. I can relate to her dressing problems as I\u2019ve had a lot of abdominal surgery. Hospital gowns open at the back so you\u2019re either pulling them down or lifting them up, which is not cool. I really want to design hospital gowns at some point. In the summer of 2016, I got out my laptop. Adaptive fashion that existed then was very medical and felt like it was designed for a carer\u2019s perspective with little regard to the person wearing it. I wanted to use everything I\u2019d learned for a better purpose.<\/p>\n

Disability is still underrepresented in the fashion industry. What are your thoughts on this?<\/b><\/p>\n

I definitely feel like it\u2019s getting better in the media as you can see more content now, but it\u2019s not always very consistent. Representation starts at entry level. Just think about our disabled students encouraged to go to fashion universities \u2013 are the buildings accessible? Plus, in fashion head offices, how many disabled designers have been hired by brands? I think that\u2019s where a lot of it falls down. I know there are some big retailers now looking into it. They are aware that they have to work with people with lived experience and adaptive designers to move forward.<\/p>\n

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How does it feel for you, as someone with a disability, to go shopping on the high street? Do you feel ignored?<\/b><\/p>\n

You just don\u2019t feel welcome. I can\u2019t stand up for too long without quite a lot of pain so if I go shopping I usually do a speed tour in and out, or I\u2019ll just shop online. I\u2019m currently waiting for a mobility scooter but I know once I have
it I\u2019m not going to be able to get into some of these stores due to accessibility. I don\u2019t know the updated stats, because this was a few years ago, but the UK high street loses approximately \u00a3267 million a month by not being accessible and not having adaptive products. Can all these brands and retailers really afford to keep excluding us? <\/p>\n

What can brands do to offer more inclusivity to disabled people?<\/b><\/p>\n

Make stores more accessible. I think a lot of people just assume, well, if disabled people want to be here, they\u2019d come in. But the reality is, if they can\u2019t get in, why would they come? Quite often the wheelchair- accessible bathroom is used for storage. It\u2019s dirty, it\u2019s full of stock in some places or simply not fit for purpose. Some of my ambassadors have had some terrible experiences.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re an ambassador for Purple Tuesday. Tell us about the initiative\u2026<\/b><\/p>\n

The aim is to make retail space more inclusive. On 7 November there was a Purple Tuesday event to get brands and retailers to switch all their lights to purple to show they are inclusive. It\u2019s grown as a concept, but there are still obviously a lot of places that don\u2019t do it. There\u2019s also an incredible app called WelcoMe, which stands for \u201cwelcome me\u201d. The app is free for the consumer, but not for the brands. Essentially, stores can say what their accessibility is, so a disabled shopper can look this up and request assistance if needed. For example, if someone is deaf and you\u2019ve got someone who knows sign language in store, they can be assured a member of staff can meet them when they arrive. I want to design clothes, but fix all the other issues, too.<\/p>\n

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Are there any brands you would love to work closely with to make adaptive clothing more accessible to disabled shoppers on the high street?<\/b><\/p>\n

I have some lovely brand collaborations coming up, which I can\u2019t speak about just yet, but I think the high street is where the biggest impact could be. I obviously have plans for Unhidden to be a global brand forever. However, this doesn\u2019t mean other existing brands shouldn\u2019t also be including adaptive clothing in their offerings. I think when one major brand does it, others will follow suit.<\/p>\n

For those of us who want to learn more about adaptive clothing, can you explain the key design features that are important, and how your designs differ from clothes available on the high street?<\/b><\/p>\n

I use the term adaptive for my \u201cshort stature\u201d pieces and \u201cseated\u201d for wheelchair users. They have been designed to help you pull them on and off easily and they are shaped for a seated position. For example, on our asymmetric frill dress there is no frill at the back to avoid the garment getting caught in the wheels. Then we have features such as elasticated waistbands, hidden access zips (for stomas) and snap fastenings, instead of buttons. It\u2019s all about comfort, easy access and modesty, but also hiding the adaptation. <\/p>\n

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Tell us about the fabrics you use \u2013are these carefully considered when you are designing?<\/b><\/p>\n

Yes, for example, wheelchair users can\u2019t sit on slippery fabrics as it\u2019s not safe. I also like to use a high-cotton content or Tencel\/Lyocell, which are much better against your skin than polyester, and fabrics that don\u2019t need much ironing and can go into the tumble dryer. Currently everything is made from deadstock fabrics [surplus materials from garment factories].<\/p>\n

It\u2019s great to hear you\u2019re working with deadstock fabrics. Why was it important to incorporate sustainability into your brand ethos?<\/b><\/p>\n

You can\u2019t work in fashion and not recognise how much of a polluter it is, so I thought, \u2018Let\u2019s not be part of the problem.\u2019 One of the benefits of being a small brand is that I can build this in from the beginning rather than try to convert an entire supply chain. We recently partnered up with Lucy & Yak, which gave us its deadstock garments, and we adaptively upcycled them. It went down really well, so a second partnership will follow. We are also looking at vintage and thrifting charities, so second-hand and pre-loved fashion becomes an option.<\/p>\n

As a stylist I recently worked with a disabled influencer, which illustrated how a wheelchair user can struggle to get dressed in non-adaptive clothing. I wanted to offer help without being patronising. Any advice on how this should be done sensitively?<\/b><\/p>\n

There\u2019s not one resource to send people saying this is how you can work with this person, but I think just be kind and ask, \u201cWhat would help you?\u201d<\/p>\n

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You\u2019ve had some milestone moments over the past year, reaching Vogue\u2019s 25 list and showing at London Fashion Week \u2013 how did it feel?<\/b><\/p>\n

Well, after the show in February I was exhausted. It felt incredible, though I cried quite a lot. The second show was definitely more joyful and fun. To be on Vogue 25 was amazing. I bought three issues. It felt very surreal.<\/p>\n

Tell us about your future plans for Unhidden\u2026 <\/b><\/p>\n

My long-term goal is to have a chain or just one bricks-and-mortar store that is easily accessible, with medically trained staff and incredible changing rooms. I want it to look luxurious, so disabled people can have that experience. There are other brand collaborations in the pipeline, which is great as we can do our own thing but have the opportunity to partner up. Kidswear, footwear, I want to do it all. Every area of fashion needs adaptive design. For example, bridal has terrible representation for the disabled community. I used to design wedding dresses so I\u2019m hoping to get back to that.<\/p>\n

The opportunities and possibilities for your brand are huge. It sounds like you\u2019re going to be very busy\u2026<\/b><\/p>\n

Yes, I\u2019m very excited for it. We\u2019ve done a lot in a very short space of time but there\u2019s still a long way to go.<\/p>\n

Shop the collection at Unhiddenclothing.com. Follow Victoria and her journey on instagram @victoriaannofficial <\/i><\/p>\n<\/p>\n