How to start thinking about inclusive fashion
And why and how your company should do it
For many years, the idea that to be accepted into the fashion club, you needed to be tall, thin, white, and have a stuffed wallet was perpetuated. Fortunately, this pattern has been increasingly questioned both by new brands that appear on the market and by the general public. Fashion has a very important role in the formation of self-esteem and the feeling of belonging, so its narratives must be more diverse and inclusive. But for a large part of the population, the problem goes far beyond representativeness, since several people cannot find clothes and products that suit their bodies.
According to World Bank data, one billion people, or 15% of the world’s population, experience some form of disability — and all of these people need clothes, shoes, and accessories. Still, there are very few examples of brands that think about this part of the population when developing their products. Beyond an ethical issue, we are also talking about a lack of commercial and marketing strategy: a survey by Coresight Research estimates that, in 2023, the potential of this will reach USD$ 349.9 billion.
But how to include people with disabilities in brand narratives and not just use them as a token for yet another superficial campaign of diversity and inclusion?
The first step you must take is to be vulnerable and ask questions. In her participation at Bof Voices 2017 — an event that brings together some of the most important fashion professionals -, the inclusion activist in fashion, Sinéad Burke, said that “the fashion industry thinks it knows what people with disabilities need and want, instead of asking them. What I want you to do is to become vulnerable and bring us to the table, ask us for our greatest insights. Because we live with this experience every day”.
Since she participated in the event, Burke’s presence has become increasingly frequent in fashion: she appeared on the cover of British Vogue in 2019 and also on the red carpet at the Met Gala. But we must not forget she is just one person. One voice. One story. When we talk about fashion designed for people who experience disabilities, we are talking about plurality and it is necessary that other people also have access to these spaces so that they, too, can share their experiences.
So, a second important step to include diverse bodies in fashion is to understand that inclusive fashion is a plural fashion and it does not come with a secret formula that will work for everyone. This is a major challenge for an industry that has been strengthened through the creation of aesthetic standards.
As much as it is common to hear people saying that fashion has the function of highlighting what is unique about each one of us, what the industry does is just the opposite. It standardizes. Most of the sizes and models of fashion products are standardized, which represents a huge barrier to include different bodies in fashion. Leandrinha Du Art, an activist for the disabled people movement, told Elle that we need to understand bodies with disabilities as plural, diverse and multiple bodies. Therefore, it is impossible to think of inclusive fashion from just one point of view.
In her participation in the Modefica Backstage podcast, communicator Isadora Meirelles said she sees a lot of strength in the slow fashion movement and the appreciation of small brands, as these brands can have closer contact with their audience. This does not mean that big brands should not or cannot embrace this market, on the contrary. What big fashion companies can do is be inspired by how small brands are approaching this market and use their platforms to bring more visibility and accessibility.
Isadora also mentioned how big brands create collections for specific dates, such as Braille Day or Disabled People’s Day, but do not go beyond that. For her, these actions are valid when thought of as an initial step, as they are ways for organizations to start entering this market and approach these customers. But it is necessary to include people with disabilities every day of the year — and not just on certain dates. Thus, when these actions take place in isolation, and without being part of a larger inclusion strategy, they become shallow, purposeless, and, often, may even sound opportunistic.
Finally, another essential step is to include people with disabilities in the labor market and not just in campaigns. We need to have these people inserted in different sectors of fashion, we need them as designers, buyers, photographers, stylists, etc., since they are the ones who know what they want and need. Thus, organizations must start to have more inclusive selection processes and that aim to attract these people. The business of Fashion recently published a study called “How to Create More Inclusive Recruitment Processes” where it mentions the importance of not only attracting more diverse candidates but also evaluating them fairly. For this, it is necessary to take into account the individual needs of each candidate so that everyone is evaluated on an equal basis.
In such a competitive and saturated industry, making fashion more inclusive goes beyond an ethical issue. It is a good business strategy, as this is a market that is so little explored and with great commercial and creative potential. But remember that to expand your business in this direction, you need to take genuine steps and include different bodies with disabilities in the process.
