Model, Athlete And Amputee, Aimee Mullins Speaks Out About Prosthetics And Inclusive Design At FIT
On March 23rd, a physically disabled model and two designers who specialize in accessible fashion spoke at The Fashion Institute of Design symposium, “The Body: Fashion and Physique” in Manhattan.
Aimee Mullins, who has opened shows for high fashion labels such as Alexander McQueen, walked, ran and strut on the catwalk with not just one, but two prosthetic legs. In conversation with Mullins during the panel, designers Grace Jun and Lucy Jones emphasized the importance of inclusive design and why it is so valuable to so many people.
Using fashion and technology, Jun and Jones are designers who work to meet the needs of those with physical disabilities. Both designers agreed that working hands on and co-creating with physically disabled people are the best way to ensure accessibility and satisfaction with their designs.
Jones, who is the founder of the inclusive fashion brand FFORA emphasized the importance of designing pieces to fit the needs of those who are often ignored in the fashion world.
“The voice is amplified by the things that are on the body” and “fashion can be a means of leveraging self confidence,” said Jones.
Mullins is proud of her prosthetics.
In discussing her experience as an amputee, she said, “Let’s make it about possibility and representation, beauty and fun, rather than a heavy emphasis on loss and appearance.“
Mullins is also a big proponent of prosthetics as wearable sculpture and art. She said that her prosthetics, “Change conversation, change how I feel about my body and change the way people want to interact with me.”
Technology makes it possible for Mullins to not only be an athlete, but a supermodel as well. As Jun said, “Fashion has always been technology and vice versa.”
Despite Mullins’ success, she has dealt with a number of rude comments and discrimination.
“Men and women alike have told me, ‘you’re really pretty, you don’t look disabled’…from afar they see me as the other and when they hangout with me they think, ‘Wow she’s just like us’. Well yeah, so is everybody,” Mullins says.
In addition, she also has a quick response to this type of ignorance, “That girl in the swimsuit calendar on you wall…she has more prosthetic in her body than I do.”
Mullins, Jun, and Jones believe that more designers need to work on inclusive design. In doing so, they continue to strive in making fashion accessible and inclusive to those from all walks of life and not just the status quo.