The designer, who has lived with a disability, says it’s time for the fashion industry to become more inclusive and inclusive.
A Melbourne-based fashion designer is using her disability experience to push to make the industry more accessible.
RMIT student Rachel Schug, who uses a wheelchair, fell in love with the idea of fashion and design without knowing about adaptive clothing. But her knowledge and interest grew as she became “very frustrated” by the lack of clothing that fit her body and her disabled peers.
Now a skilled fashion designer working focused on inclusion The label JamShe sees herself as having a responsibility to help “push the industry towards a more inclusive environment.”
“[I] We hope to simplify and normalize the lived experiences of people with and without disabilities and create more accessible design and cross-disciplinary practices,” she said.
What is accessible fashion?
Accessible fashion, according to Shug, stems from the concept of universal design. The concept exists in other areas such as architecture and education, and fashion is concerned with designing clothing that suits people of all abilities.
As an option, it takes into account the openings and how to wear clothes in a different way, and offers adjustments such as zips and magnets.
“It puts the person with an injury or disability first and foremost in the design principles and considerations,” Schug explained.
Not having access to accessible clothing can have a negative impact on people’s confidence and self-esteem, she said.
“I have experienced this myself. You identify with your body because this dress, this reflection of society, is telling you that you shouldn’t be here. You are excluded,” explained Shug.
Through her designs, she aims to re-establish positive relationships with clothing and create a connection between clothing and body, making people with disabilities feel stylish, confident and comfortable.
Accessible clothing has unique design features that are easy to put on and take off and comfortable to wear.
Magnets are a common adaptation to adjust levels of dexterity and limb fatigue in the wearer and allow for quick and easy dressing and donning.
Bias attaches to the shoulders while the magnets allow the clothes to close around the body, leaving the missing legs.
Shug uses a technique she calls the roll back, which uses large, soft materials that wrap around the wheelchair user’s legs, creating balance and comfort. This is taken from the experience of using a wheelchair.
Her designs also often use placket, which allows for maximum movement and flexibility, allowing the garment to move with the wearer and return to its original shape without compromising the garment’s structural integrity or putting the wearer at risk of injury.
As with physical construction, she also considers sensory issues such as how certain fabrics around clothing feel on the skin. Shug says she prefers soft materials like wool, silk and cashmere.
She uses flat stitches to avoid any chafing or friction. This is useful for wheelchair users with pressure ulcers who need to save stitches on their hips or back, as well as people with sensory impairments.
Where is the fashion industry?
The fashion industry has traditionally not been very inclusive. Change is coming, Shug said, albeit slowly.
While we’re seeing different faces in fashion ad campaigns now, Shug says any change needs to be real and inclusive.
“I think the fashion industry is still very exclusionary and elitist and alienating, and it can reflect societal attitudes that are enforced by the industry’s tokenistic attempts to include diverse voices,” she says.
I think sometimes that has the potential to do more harm than good because if it’s tokenistic, where does the change really happen?
Shug connects accessibility with expansion in fashion. Fast fashionIn a few weeks, the designs were copied and destroyed.
Adopting a slow design approach allows people to challenge the industry, she says.
“Slowly, I think design can embrace universal design [of clothing] Strategy and design for everyone. This kind of compassionate approach can take into account the needs and desires of many people, which is a universal design, “Shug explained.
Part of that change comes from including a diverse group of people behind the camera, in board meetings, in design, in costume construction and, ultimately, in front of the camera and on magazine covers. .
Shug added that education for the general public is critical to bringing about an inclusive and slow fashion movement.
“We need to start educating people about marginalized bodies and people with disabilities, and we need to create opportunities to listen and learn about this disparity in the market from insensitivity and isolation,” she said.
Innovation and change are often created through the collaboration of skills and experiences and talents…so we are starting to see long-overdue change in bringing together multidisciplinary ways of disparate experiences, unifying voices and planning to systematically disrupt the industry.
For more space to close the gap
Shug said the response from the disabled community to her designs has been “amazing” and highlights the gap in the market and the need for more accessible styles.
She also wants to see more opportunities for people with disabilities to be employed in the fashion industry, informing design and construction.
Shug says being at the forefront of change can feel “a little scary at times,” but she hopes her work will inspire other emerging designers to think about accessible fashion design.
“I think the level of talent and hard work and passion I know for future fashion designers has the ability to push the fashion industry into a more inclusive and sustainable future,” she says.
“I want my work to be functional and accessible, but also serve as a focus for deep thought and thought, and ultimately promote more creative and inclusive work for future fashion designers.
“Being a fashion designer with a disability is a privilege.”
