The freedom to choose a piece of clothing, to decide between comfort and elegance—it might seem trivial against the backdrop of health conditions that reshape a person's life. Yet this modest demand sparked a project in 2018 by Uildm (the Italian Muscular Dystrophy Association) to push fashion toward greater social inclusion. Four design schools joined the effort to create garments that were not only comfortable and properly fitted, but elegant and yes, even a touch frivolous—clothes for women with muscular dystrophy and other conditions that limit mobility and confine them to wheelchairs.
More and more disabled people and their families are asking to be noticed by an industry that shapes social identity, whether we like it or not. As Karin Hitselberger, a young American fashion blogger using a wheelchair, puts it: "You can't dismiss attention to fashion as superficial, because ultimately it's how you present yourself to the world. And just because I'm disabled doesn't mean I can't have a personal style or care about how I dress."
Many independent designers are answering this desire to feel seen and valued through one's appearance. The young New York designer Camilla Chiriboga created garments for blind people using fabrics of different textures and weaves—readable even by smartphone so that colors can be more easily recognized by those wearing them. Camille Boillet, also young and based in France, designed a bridal collection that balances personal need with tulle, sequins, silk, and draping, without forgetting to coordinate everything for wheelchair use.
Even Tommy Hilfiger, a major ready-to-wear house, launched an accessible line in 2017 that finally made it to the runway. It will be produced at scale starting next spring. Hilfiger understands autism intimately and knows that magnets, velcro, and heat-printed labels can offer "smart accommodations so everyone in the family can dress more easily."
While Beth Wilson was amazed to find a wheelchair-using mannequin in a shop window, Stephanie Thomas points out that it's easier to find clothes for dogs than for disabled people.
While Beth Wilson was amazed to find a wheelchair-using mannequin in a shop window, Stephanie Thomas points out that it's easier to find clothes for dogs than for disabled people.In recent years, fashion has also begun casting models who themselves live with disability—a shift that's finally reaching the shop windows. On disabili.com, Beth Wilson, a disabled artist, described her shock at seeing a mannequin sitting in a wheelchair in a bridal shop in Bristol. "This shouldn't be surprising, but it's the first time I've seen disability displayed so matter-of-factly in a window!" She went on: "It's not rare for disabled people to feel invisible. That's because we barely see ourselves represented in media, and especially because beautiful clothes aren't designed for us. I don't need a wedding dress right now, but if I ever did, I'd be so much happier knowing I could walk into a shop where I know I'll be accepted—me, my wheelchair, and everything else."
Being able to shop independently and feel genuinely welcome isn't always a given. An initiative on this issue, from the English-speaking world, is Purple Tuesday, which in 2019 fell on November 12: a day designed to transform the shopping experience for disabled people so it carries the same ease and pleasure most of us associate with browsing. The approach is pragmatic, needling retailers with a simple slogan: "Help me spend my money!"
What about Italy? The internet helps considerably, and online shopping is always an option. Liddawear, for instance, targets a mostly male clientele with various accessibility needs. Then there's Laianna, which offers high-tech solutions for easier dressing—though you'll only find it advertised at medical exhibitions. Ernesto Simionato, a former professional tailor and disabled person himself, launched "Vesto Libero" (Dress Free), an enterprise aimed squarely at the population barely present in our shops.
In a 2016 TED talk, American fashion expert Stephanie Thomas, who uses a wheelchair, pointed out that it's easier to find clothes for dogs than for disabled people. A careful observer of major brands, Stephanie demands the right for everyone to dress with dignity, style, and self-confidence. For this to happen, fashion must be truly accessible, smart, and beautiful for disabled people too. "Some people tell me this kind of design is complicated, but these days that's not an acceptable answer. Some think all disabled people are the same—we're not. Or that we have bigger things to worry about. Thanks for reminding me!"