As an industry entrenched with ableist (the discrimination and social prejudice against people with disabilities) values, the fashion world can be intimidating for bodies that don’t fit the world’s narrow beauty standards.
Grace Statton, the brains behind All is For All – a Kiwi platform pushing for a more inclusive fashion industry and fighting to break down barriers for people with disabilities – is frustrated that normative standards have made disabled people think they can’t succeed in the fashion space.
“I think that a huge amount of work is already being done, which is so great and absolutely worthy of acknowledgement,” says All is for All’s Grace Stratton.
But she believes that designers and media need to be doing more to engage with the disabled community. “And that is something we’re proud to help facilitate,” she says.
Stratton adds that change has been a long time coming, and now is not the time to rest on one’s laurels. “Disabled people, and, really, all people who don’t fit the ‘normative’ mould, have been waiting long enough. It’s our time now.”
As for what individuals can do to expedite this future wherein concepts like ‘inclusivity’ and ‘diversity’ are no longer marketing buzzwords, but part of the everyday and unspoken fabric of the fashion industry.
“Support disabled people on social media, follow diverse accounts and challenge your own thinking. The books you read, the shows you watch… what are they saying about disability? And does that reflect reality? Don’t just accept the images you see. And remember that if you don’t see or hear about disability in what you’re consuming, that’s an issue in itself,” says Stratton.
Read more about the ‘Future of Fashion’ in STYLE Spring 2020.
