With NY Fashion Week just a few weeks away, I thought I'd bring to your attention one of my favorite fashion trends that happens to be one of the top trends of 2023.
While bringing light to the world of Adaptive Fashion, we are also staying in vogue by keeping up with the latest trends and finding the spaces where the fashion industry needs to fill in. Oversized Everything is a fashion trend that is currently the bees knees! This works well for me as I tend to wear oversized clothing because it's adaptive! Likely, it's not adaptive on purpose, but we are trying to move the industry to a place that's intentional about making clothing and shoes adaptive...and fashionable! Oversized clothes are simple yet stylish, effortless, comfortable and fit almost any figure….and embraced by so many designers like Gucci, The Row, Christopher John Rogers, Khaite, just to name a few. Think what could happen if they were made adaptive too! What’s your favorite fashion trend? Are you in vogue? Have you seen adaptive clothing or shoes that are stylish? Have you seen clothing or shoes that you wish were adaptive? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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Today we are highlighting Influencers of Adaptive Fashion - Sinéad Burke, Samanta Bullock and Jillian Mercado!
Each of them are stars in their own right, but more importantly, they have personal experience with the need for Adaptive Fashion, and are making enormous strides in increasing awareness while celebrating the beauty of differences. Please give them a follow! See the world through their eyes and broaden your horizons by their influence. Adaptive Fashion is here to stay! To know me, is to know that I am consumed by Wanderlust! Travel has been a muse for me that has never left me. Living life with a disability has not changed that, but it has given me the opportunity to share my love for travel with those also living with a disability.
Today's Travel Feature: Amsterdam! A place I visited in 2013 and loved! I was consumed by the feeling of the city, the vibe of the people, seeing my favorite flower the colorful and jubilant tulip everywhere, visiting all of the many museums and let's not forget the flavorful food! Did I mention there is a Tulip Museum dedicated to all things tulips?!! It's a city with an entire public transit system that is accessible...and a spectacular Diversity Fashion Week that showcases Adaptive Fashion! I love that Amsterdam embraces diversity and I can't wait to visit again, it's been way too long! Two passions in one place! Check out the blog of Josephine Rees @able_amsterdam who has laid out an entire plan with accessible options. Advocacy and education about Adaptive Fashion go hand in hand.
There's a seat at the table for everyone. Being inclusive will further the mission of Adaptive Fashion. There is importance in hearing the voices of those who have unique perspectives on this subject. Each one can reach one. How can you spread the word about Adaptive Fashion? Mention it to people with disabilities, your family and friends, see if they've heard of adaptive fashion. On social media, follow advocates of adaptive fashion and designers who make clothing and shoes adaptive. Let's join the movement to get educated about adaptive fashion and spread the word! I advocate for people with disabilities so they feel seen, beautiful and included in all facets of life.
This adaptive fashion movement is my passion and I am inspired to make collaborations that make fashion adaptive. Fashion has always allowed me to find a way to live my wildest dreams in my mind, and now I need to get them out for the rest of the world to see! As a confession, I'm new to living with a disability, so imagine living life without any barriers and the next day, it all changes without warning. It's an adjustment, but I've embraced it and I'm happy to share my story and new normal especially during disability pride month. It's giving unlimited pride and new appreciation for my current station in life. It's always a good time to celebrate yourself and be the best you possible! For this girl, I'm moving Fashion Forward, and I'm bringing you along for the ride! Today is the day that Fashion Day is celebrated! Fashionistas everywhere, rejoice! This is our day! This day provides everyone with an opportunity to showcase their fashion creativity and individuality and share with the world their own unique version of what fashion means to them!
Fashion has transcended what boundaries have been set for traditional style, and with that evolvement over the years, comes special categories like those created for those with disabilities that we now know as Adaptive Fashion! And for that, we are so grateful. The word is catching on like wildfire due to trailblazers setting the path and we can freely celebrate this day, this ode to fashion more proudly now that we have growing awareness and representation gaining momentum like never before. According to a recent statistic, it has been reported that the adaptive clothing market has shared a market value of $300B since 2021 and is expanding in global growth with a projection of 16% by 2024. This year alone, sales are projected to grow to $54.8B. "So to all my fellow fashionistas, today is our day! Wear your tutus, your mary janes, your crinoline, your flowy goddess maxis and anything with flair that lets the world know who we are! Happy Fashion Day to all, and to all a good night!" July is Disability Pride Month! This designation is a celebration of disabled persons who embrace their disabilities as key parts of who they are and own their visibility in public and fully embrace their disabilities in the open, thus, rejecting stigmas and internalized ableism. Disability pride has been described as “accepting and honoring each person’s uniqueness and seeing it as a natural and beautiful part of human diversity.”
In honor of Disability Pride Month, I’m highlighting a dynamic disability warrior I’ve recently been inspired by, Lauren “Lolo” Spencer. I first saw her story on Tamron Hall Show This woman is on the move! You may have seen her in the HBO Max Series, The Sex Lives of College Girls where her character is celebrated and beloved for the way she shows up. You can learn more about her from the recent articles I read in Refinery29, New Mobility Magazine and ABILITY Magazine. Lauren Spencer (@itslololove) is a rockstar and loves fashion too! She has been styled by an Adaptive Fashion designer - Stephanie Thomas Disability Fashion Stylist - another standout in her field. Join me in continuing the celebration of disability pride and adaptive fashion! Follow me for more highlights on adaptive fashion and disability awareness! On the final day of National Scoliosis Awareness Month, I think back to junior high school, when I started wearing a back brace 23 out of 24 hours a day. During these socially formative years, I wore this horrible plastic hard shell meant to prevent my scoliosis from getting worse, but instead, it stunted my dreams of fashion and becoming the runway model I just knew I was meant to be! Oh the agony….but all was not lost, I’ve never lost the desire to be connected to fashion and now I revel in the magical feeling of fashion that has helped me adapt after life threw me a curve, literally. Though scoliosis has changed my path in the way I originally thought life would go, it has led to my mission of finding my voice to champion scoliosis, disability and the absolute need for Fashionable Adaptive clothing and shoe awareness! Stay aware, share and spread the word about the things you’ve learned following my posts about my scoliosis journey. No one is immune from the unfortunate sentence of scoliosis. Many people suffer in silence, attempt rehabilitation for pain management or share loudly about their struggle with scoliosis. Do you know anyone that lives with scoliosis?
Did you know that some of your favorite celebrities live with scoliosis? No one’s journey is without struggle. Some are less painful than others, not pretty, and none are glamorous. But that doesn’t mean you can’t make your dreams come true. I just found out about quite a few celebs who also share this condition with me. I had no idea. Take a look at a few celebrities who you never knew had scoliosis and imagine their daily lives a little different from what you imagined it may be like, but add a scoliosis diagnosis to it. Makes you want to revere them a little more. Let’s continue to raise awareness about scoliosis. |
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