Fashion is personal, expressive and most powerful when everyone is included. In The Style Cabinet, adaptive fashion, accessible beauty and inclusive style take centre stage. Each edition brings together fresh trends, standout collections, runway highlights, innovative brands and practical inspiration, alongside thoughtful stories about the people reshaping fashion and beauty to reflect more bodies, identities, experiences and ways of living. You’ll also find opportunities to share what matters to you and help shape the conversations ahead.
THE FRONT ROW
Design & Disability at V&A Dundee
just one of those things by artist, Mari Katayama
What happens when disability isn't treated as an afterthought in design, but as a driving force behind it? That's the question at the heart of the V&A's Design & Disability exhibition, now showing at V&A Dundee in Scotland. Featuring around 170 objects across fashion, architecture, photography and product design, the exhibition explores how Disabled, Deaf and neurodivergent designers have shaped design history through lived experience. Design and Disability is free at V&A Dundee and runs until October 4, 2026
FASHION BRIEF
Could This Be the Future of Getting Dressed?
Image credit: Kim et al., Self-Wearing Adaptive Garments via Soft Robotic Unfurling, Figure 8, CC BY 4.0. Cropped from the original.
Imagine clothing that helps dress you instead of the other way around. Researchers at KAIST and Stanford University have unveiled a prototype self-dressing garment that uses soft robotics to gently unfold and wrap around the wearer. The technology is still in development, but the project offers an exciting look at how fashion and engineering could work together to support greater independence for people with limited mobility.
Disability Inclusion Took Centre Stage at the United Nations
Adaptive fashion stepped onto one of the world's biggest stages as the Future of Fashion Show returned to the United Nations. Bringing together designers, advocates and industry leaders, the event on June 10th celebrated accessible fashion while opening up conversations around representation, innovation and the future of inclusive design. As disability continues to gain visibility within the fashion industry, events like this highlight how accessibility is becoming part of the global conversation.
COLLECTION WATCH
Adaptive Jeans & Graphic Tees by Lady Fines
The Lady Fines 2026 collection pairs adaptive fashion with expressive everyday style. Alongside graphic tees, cropped cuts and comfortable tanks featuring empowering messages, the Pretty Adaptive Jeans combine distinctive heart details with practical dressing features. Adjustable side hook closures and inner elastic bands support a personalized fit, while dual-direction, full-length zippers extend from ankle to hip for seated dressing and access to medical devices. The wheelchair-friendly jeans also include a higher rear rise, easy-grip zipper pulls, adjusted length and a hidden pocket for a catheter, drainage or Foley bag. Together, the collection brings comfort, function and fearless style into focus.
Runway Roundup
____________________________
We’re highlighting three fashion events this summer in three different cities, all reflecting the growing presence of disabled models on the runway.
CHICAGO
Abilities Expo Chicago in partnership with Runway of Dreams, brought back its annual runway show in June, pairing disabled models with accessible brands in a showcase that has become a regular part of the event. What was once seen as a specialist feature is now an established fixture, reflecting the event's ongoing commitment to disability representation in fashion. Read More →
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND
In Manchester, the Disability Pride Catwalk returned, bringing together disabled models, creatives and designers for a public celebration of disability, identity and personal style. Read More →
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND
Meanwhile, an Inclusive Children's Fashion Show, giving young disabled models the opportunity to take to the runway while highlighting the importance of representation from an early age was held in Birmingham. Read More →
Different events, different audiences, but together they point to a wider shift: disability is becoming an increasingly visible part of fashion's public spaces, from community-led catwalks to established industry events.
Michelle | Australia
@michelle_roger
A decade-plus of disability fashion, styling and photography, Michelle has spent years pushing fashion forward both in front of and behind the camera.
Lanni | New York
@lannimade
Bold colour, joyful design and unapologetic self-expression. Lanni brings softness, silliness and a whole lot of personality to the world of fashion and art.
READER SURVEY
FashionAbility magazine is shaped by the people who read it and we want to hear from you. Your responses will help guide future issues and ensure the magazine continues to reflect the interests and experiences of its readers. Thank you for participating.
1. Which inclusive, adaptive or accessible brand are you loving right now, and why?
(It could be fashion, beauty, accessories or something else entirely.)
2. What's one thing the fashion industry still gets wrong when it comes to disability, accessibility or inclusive design?
(We'd love to hear about your experiences and perspectives.)
3. What's one topic you'd like to see us cover in a future issue?
These inclusive fashion websites are worth a visit . . .
More from Our Magazine Shelf
