Students create innovative and inclusive fashion products

Fashion students in the School of Design have received praise for the work they have completed as part of a project to make clothing items more suitable to customers who have a disability.

Fashion students in the School of Design have received praise for the work they have completed as part of a project to make clothing items more suitable to customers who have a disability. As part of our Fashion Innovation module, students took part in the ‘Disability: Fashion for All’ project which gave students an opportunity to consider the specific needs of groups of people who can often feel excluded from the fashion industry.  The students who took part in this project created design solutions which would improve ease of use and functionality for consumers with a range of disabilities, including visual impairments, limited mobility, colostomy bag wearers and wheelchair users. The challenge was set by Ability TV, an online TV channel which provide programming which aims to support people living with disabilities

Elaine Evans, Senior Teaching Fellow in Fashion said “Often, clothing that is adapted to the functional needs of these consumers is uninspiring and doesn’t have a fashionable aesthetic, which can have a real impact on the way that the wearer feels.  The real challenge for the fashion industry is that, as disabilities are unique to each consumer, brands would need to offer diverse products in order to cater for a range of needs.  Hopefully, as the students who took part in the project move forward with their careers, they will be able use this experience to encourage fashion brands to be more inclusive.”

The project has received regional news coverage on ITV’s calendar programme.