Designs for special needs an untapped market

In 2006, Stephanie Thomas, who was born with congenital disabilities on her feet and right hand, came across a rain coat, complete with pockets and a belt, made for a dog.

It made her wonder why there are more clothing options for pets than for people with physical disabilities.

This area is an untapped fashion market, Thomas says. People don't just want a shirt or dress or pants — they want clothing they would wear even if they didn't have a disability. Today, Thomas is a disability fashion stylist and educator from Los Angeles, Calif.

“I have always ... been interested in fashion, wanting to go to fashion-design school,” says Allie Williams, 24, of White Oak, who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair. “Fashion is very interesting. If you see the coat I have, you realize it's a major fashion faux pas. I needed help with a new one.”

She received assistance from Lisa Marie Bruno at Community Living and Support Services in Swissvale, which promotes inclusion for people with disabilities. Bruno, a Bloomfield native who teaches fashion at CLASS, helped transform a basic denim jacket by sewing up the front, cutting the back in the middle and adding Velcro so it could be lowered over Williams' head. They both decided on sparkles as an embellishment.

“Lisa did a great job,” Williams says. “She knows clothes, and we have fun in her fashion class. She lets us share what we want when it comes to fashion.”

Part of the challenge is making apparel that allows the individual to move well and isn't restrictive in terms of being too long for someone like Williams, who has a shorter torso and shorter arms.

Being able to introduce fashion to individuals such as Williams is a passion for Bruno, a clothing and jewelry designer. She can take an existing garment and alter it to fit a person in a wheelchair, or she can create a new piece of apparel. Bruno is in the process of designing an animal-print winter coat for Williams with removable sleeves.

“I was always short and overweight, so my mother used to make my clothes for me because it was hard to find garments that fit,” Bruno says. “So I have been around adaptive clothing all my life.”

Bruno started making items for others when her sister and a friend gave birth 28 years ago to children with special needs. She made adaptive clothes for them, as well as shoes — with the help of a local shoe repairer.

There aren't a lot of stores where people with seated body types can buy clothes and accessories, Thomas says.

“As a disability-fashion stylist, my goal is to create beautiful, powerful images that challenge and, ultimately, change negative perceptions of people with disabilities,” she says.

Her website — cur8able.com — is about solving fashion woes for people with disabilities by curating clothing and lifestyle products that are accessible, smart and stylish. It is important that this clothing is easy to be dressed in and removed, doesn't harm the wearer and complements a person's body type.

There is a need for designers such as Bruno, says Danielle Sheypuk, a disability rights advocate and fashion model who has a doctorate in clinical psychology. She specializes in the problems of dating, relationships and sexuality among the disabled.

The larger issue is that people with disabilities are left out of the fashion world, says Sheypuk, wheelchair dependent since age 3 when she was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy.

“The message is that we are not part of it and that we don't belong,” she says. “So, it is easy to incorporate those feelings into low self-esteem and feel that you are somewhat separate from the rest of the world. But like all human beings, some care about how we look and have a fashion sense, while others might not care as much. But it is up to the person to decide that.”

Sheypuk, who was named “Ms. Wheelchair New York” in 2012, says she wishes fashion and footwear designers would incorporate all body types in their collections. In 2014, she became the first wheelchair-bound model in New York Fashion Week, in a show from designer Carrie Hammer, who creates custom clothing for professional women.

“She wanted to use role models instead of traditional runway models,” says Sheypuk, a Manhattan resident originally from Scranton. “I enjoy being in front of the camera, so I was more excited than nervous. I wanted to model the clothes so they looked their best, just like all models want to do for the designer they are on the runway for.”

Hammer had to make some adjustments to the outfit Sheypuk wore, as she would for any model.

“My downfall is I like to spend money on designer clothes,” Sheypuk says. “I won't hesitate spending $200 on a piece of clothing. I believe in buying quality fashion pieces because they are investment pieces. So why can't designers include us?”

Now, Sheypuk is modeling for The Tomboy Shop, a retailer based in New York City that works with designers all over the country and sells through a website — thetomboyshop.com — and pop-up shops.

Owner Rachel Grossinger used to be Sheypuk's neighbor, but that's not why they connected for this campaign. Sheypuk reached out to the company not knowing who owned it.

“Danielle and I have a similar mindset,” Grossinger says. “We are not having her model for us because she has a disability. Danielle is the epitome of a strong female. She is absolutely beautiful regardless of her disability. Nothing stops her.”

JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. She can be reached at jharrop@tribweb.com or 412-320-7889.