Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion industry as that which is trending. Everything that is considered fashion is available and popularized by the fashion system.
Muscular dystrophies (MD) are a genetically and clinically heterogeneous group of rare neuromuscular diseases that cause progressive weakness and breakdown of skeletal muscles over time. The disorders differ as to which muscles are primarily affected, the degree of weakness, how fast they worsen, and when symptoms begin. Some types are also associated with problems in other organs.
Jeans are a type of pants or trousers made from denim or dungaree cloth. Often the term "jeans" refers to a particular style of trousers, called "blue jeans", which were invented by Jacob W. Davis in partnership with Levi Strauss & Co. in 1871 and patented by Jacob W. Davis and Levi Strauss on May 20, 1873. Prior to the Levi Strauss patented trousers, the term "blue jeans" had been long in use for various garments, constructed from blue-colored denim.
The Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) is an American 501(c)(3) umbrella organization that works to support people with neuromuscular diseases. Founded in 1950 by Paul Cohen, who lived with muscular dystrophy, it works to combat neuromuscular disorders by funding research, providing medical and community services and educating health professionals and the general public and contributed more than $1 billion toward researching therapies and cures, helping to fund the identification of the dystrophin gene responsible for Duchenne muscular dystrophy as well as prospective treatments.
Antonia Pettyfer is a German fashion model and actress. She rose to prominence in the fashion industry after signing an exclusive contract with Calvin Klein in 2008.
Kylie Bisutti is an American author and former model who won the 2009 "Victoria's Secret Model Search" competition, broadcast online through CBS and concluded during the December 1st airing of that year's Fashion Show. She soon quit modeling lingerie due to it conflicting with her Christian values and in 2013 published a memoir, I'm No Angel: From Victoria's Secret Model to Role Model. She followed that with a daily devotional book for young women, and later started a Christian clothing line with her aunt called God Inspired Fashion.
Laura Ann Hershey was a poet, journalist, popular speaker, feminist, and a disability rights activist and consultant. Known to have parked her wheelchair in front of buses, Hershey was one of the leaders of a protest against the paternalistic attitudes and images of people with disabilities inherent to Jerry Lewis's MDA Telethon. She was a regular columnist for the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, and on her own website, Crip Commentary, and was published in a variety of magazines and websites. She was admired for her wit, her ability to structure strong arguments in the service of justice, and her spirited refusal to let social responses to her spinal muscular atrophy define the parameters of her life as anything less than a full human existence. She was also the mother of an adopted daughter.
Fashion Revolution is a not-for-profit global movement represented by The Fashion Revolution Foundation and Fashion Revolution CIC with teams in over 100 countries around the world. Fashion Revolution campaigns for reform of the fashion industry with a focus on the need for greater transparency in the fashion supply chain. Starting in 2013, Fashion Revolution has designated the anniversary of the Rana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh as Fashion Revolution Day and holds events each year. Between 2014 and 2020, millions of people around the world called on brands to answer the question Who Made My Clothes? The hashtag #WhoMadeMyClothes became the no.1 global trend on Twitter. They have faced criticisms specifically about the Transparency Index.
Isabella Khair Hadid is an American model. In 2016, she was voted "Model of the Year" by industry professionals for Models.com. Over the span of four years, Hadid has made twenty-seven appearances on international Vogue magazine covers.
Jillian Mercado is an actress and American fashion model represented by CAA Fashion. As a wheelchair user, she is one of the few professional models who has a visible physical disability in the fashion industry. A prominent figure in the new wave of models challenging beauty ideals in the fashion industry, Mercado is keen to fight the lack of representation of people with disabilities in the fashion industry and their enduring stigma.
Danielle Ann Sheypuk is an American psychologist and advocate for people with disabilities. Sheypuk is a self-described "sexpert" and leading commentator on the psychology of dating, relationships and sexuality for the disabled population.
Madeline Stuart is an Australian model with Down syndrome. She has appeared on the New York Fashion Week catwalk, and has also walked Paris fashion week, London fashion week, Runway Dubai, Russian fashion week, Mercedes Benz fashion week China and many more. She has been described as the world's first professional model with Down syndrome.
Halima Aden is a Somali-American fashion model. She is noted for being the first hijabi supermodel yet and is also known for being the first woman to wear a hijab in the Miss Minnesota USA pageant, where she was a semi-finalist. Following her participation in the pageant, Halima received national attention and was signed to IMG Models. She was also the first model to wear a hijab and burkini in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
Rebekah Marine Paster, also known as The Bionic Model, is an American model and motivational speaker. She is a congenital amputee and was born without a right forearm.
Alexandra Kutas is the world's first runway model in a wheelchair, first fashion model with a disability in Ukraine, an entrepreneur, a public speaker, and was an adviser to the mayor of Dnipro on the accessibility of urban infrastructure.
Myriam Chalek is a French fashion designer, entrepreneur and diversity and inclusion advocate. She is best known for putting on alternative fashion shows meant to challenge the idea of beauty while empowering people living with disabilities.
Open Style Lab (OSL) is a nonprofit organization that was launched in 2014, initially as a public service project at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The nonprofit's executive director and board president is Grace Jun. The organization designs and produces adaptive clothing and products, with and for people with disabilities. The group invites designers, engineers, and occupational therapists from across the globe to work together to solve a real-life problem with an adaptive clothing solution. The program was replicated at MIT International Design Center and at Parsons School of Design at The New School.
The COVID-19 pandemic affects the global fashion industry as governments close down manufacturing plants, and through store closures, and event cancellations to slow the spread of the virus. The coronavirus pandemic has had a major impact on fashion brands worldwide. At the same time, the fashion industry faces challenges in consumer demand. New opportunities are also presenting themselves as fashion brands shift to making fashionable coronavirus face masks. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is inevitably changing the fashion world forever. Domenico de Sole, chairman of Tom Ford International, remarked that “I have seen a lot of difficult situations in my long career and this has been the most devastating event, not just for fashion and luxury, but all industries.”
Varija Bajaj is an Indian fashion designer from Delhi known for her women's workwear. Her "Pagdi" collection at India Runway Week in 2016, saw the models wearing the traditional Indian male headgear 'pagdi'. Her "Vrindavan" collection premiered at India Runway Week in 2017. It was designed to counter the stigmas attached to widows.
Stephanie Thomas is an American disability fashion stylist, creative director, public speaker, voice actor, author, and professor. In 2006 she coined the phrase "Why are there more in-store clothing options for pets than there are for people with disabilities?". In 2019, Thomas made the Business of Fashion BOF 500 list of People Shaping the Global Fashion Industry.
