by MAGGIE FRELENG
Danielle Sheypuk at the Carrie Hammer fashion show, New York Fashion Week, February 2014.
The fashion industry is coming under steady pressure to widen the spectrum of beauty ideals.
Ad campaigns have called out unrealistic beauty standards, major department stores are adding plus-size mannequins and New York’s recent child model laws are designed to protect all models under the age of 18 from exploitation.
But there’s still plenty of room for more inclusion, said Danielle Sheypuk, Ms. Wheelchair New York 2012.
“People with disabilities are an untapped consumer market in terms of fashion,” said Sheypuk, a clinical psychologist in New York. “We read the magazines, shop in stores, but nothing is ever pitched to us.”
On Feb. 6, the first day of New York Fashion Week, which ends Feb. 13, one designer in particular seemed to understand. Carrie Hammer decided to shake things up and feature Sheypuk as the first person to “walk” the runway in a wheelchair.
“I made the decision to cast ‘role models not runway models,'” Hammer said in an email interview. “It is so important to me that women have positive body image and are empowered in work and their life. My line makes dresses to fit women. We don’t make dresses that women need to fit into.”
Sheypuk, who has used a wheel chair since age 2, said she has a longstanding interest in designer clothing. But there was always something missing: enough role models. “People with disabilities need to see it. It’s a confidence booster. It’s like, ‘if she’s doing it, I can do it. Who cares about my wheelchair?'”
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