To See or Not to See: Fashion and the Disabled Identity
Words by Mathilda Gatsby
Edited by Rachel Hambly and Bailey Tolentino
Image: The brand Unhidden included models with visible disabilities at their London Fashion Week event for A/W2025. Credit:LFW Website
When I think about what fashion and design means to me, I am often reminded that fashion is something that can be both expressive and protective. I went to the ‘Design and Disability’ exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum over the summer and immediately gravitated towards the ‘anti-grab wheelchair handle spikes.’ These were not only a poignant reminder of the boundaries that disabled people must set in their daily lives, but also a punk expression of the power that fashion and design can afford to people. The spikes say, ‘I am here, this is who I am, but that does not give you the right to touch me.’
I have always loved expressing myself through my clothing choices, but as I experienced teenagehood in the 2010s, they became a way of protecting myself from the eyes of others. In the time of developing social media, it was impossible not to compare myself to all the other beautiful able-bodied women, especially as so much of the clothing that I had access to was objectively ugly and unflattering. Now, waking up every morning and getting dressed becomes a choice between being seen as a twenty-three-year-old, or as a disabled twenty-three-year-old: trousers or skirt? Despite the fact that I love my sparkly black prosthetic leg, it is not something that I want to show all the time, and the self-consciousness involved in making these decisions can be incredibly difficult at times. However, it can also be freeing. I love to incorporate my leg into my accessories for the day; I chose sparkly black for a reason (it goes with everything). I also love it when I can comedically reveal my prosthesis and someone says, ‘I had no idea!’ Being seen or not being seen is completely within my power, something that I am incredibly grateful for. Not everybody has that luxury.
It is incredibly empowering to see people and brands promote inclusivity. The age of social media has seen a rise in disabled content creators who use the public platforms to promote messages of inclusivity, and more importantly, how they exist as individuals: not simply as “brave” or “inspirational” tokens of sympathy. When I spoke to athlete and disabled influencer Rebecca Legon (yes, that’s her real last name), she told me about her experiences as a footballer for the England Women’s Amputee team and growing up as an amputee. She told me that ‘when [she] was younger and [she] was a teenager and there wasn’t much awareness around disability and difference, [she] would use clothing to hide [her] prosthesis […] [She] tried to blend in with the background.’ However, things started changing as she noticed ‘others like [herself] on social media achieving and doing wonderful things, and being inspired by them to not hide it anymore.’ She found her confidence ‘in others.’ Looking at her page now, you can see just how confidently she owns her identity, not only as an amazing mum but as a host for Movao— the public platform for world-leading adaptive brand Ottobock. Showing off her prosthesis, she also adapts her own clothing by cutting her leggings and wearing them inside her socket to help with friction burns whilst doing outdoor activities.
Images: Rebecca Legon is a member of the Amputee Lionesses and an advocate for disability inclusion. Credit: @rebeccalegon Instagram
Having a disability can often mean that clothing is not comfortable, safe, accessible, or simply enjoyable enough to wear, particularly as brands often strive for quantity over quality. There are still systemic issues within the fashion industry that delineate trends and the production of garments which are simply not inclusive or adaptive, especially where disability inclusion is so rarely at the forefront of people’s minds. When asked about adaptive clothing lines, Rebecca told me that adaptive fashion should have ‘materials that work around different bodies without making them feel too different,’ and that ‘adaptive ranges should be using clever fabrics, innovative fabrics.’ She loves the Vivo Barefoot shoes as an above-knee amputee; having ‘that connection to [her] real foot and [her] prosthesis to the ground’ is really liberating for her identity and useful for the function of her mechanical knee. As a professional model, she has found that stylists and much of the fashion industry lack understanding for the bodies of people with disabilities, and there have been times where she has struggled on shoots to get that ‘look’ you might find in other shoots. However, she worked with the brand Sweaty Betty last year and found that their preparation, fittings, and communication ahead of time were helpful. She also noted that ‘there is a lot to learn in the fashion industry.’
As approximately 24% of people in the UK (about 16.1 Million people*) identify as disabled, the push for conscientious inclusion is becoming difficult to ignore. Inclusion, after all, only ever benefits consumer and customers alike. Despite how brands often have a singular token physically disabled person on the runway, or able-wash their production standards, it is becoming more common for inclusion to go beyond the runway and into the designs themselves. I was delighted to see the brand Unhidden at London Fashion Week for A/W2025, featuring models with different visible disabilities; British Vogue featuring cover models with visible disabilities in their May 2023 Issue; and agencies such as ZBD Talent working to promote inclusion in fashion and media. Victoria’s Secret debuted an Adaptive Intimates Collection in 2023 and even Primark recently launched an adaptive line featuring items such as bras and trousers with discreet fasteners and accessible zips. Fashion should and can be for everyone— financially and physically.
When the eyes of the world could be on you at any given moment, it is incredibly vulnerable to put yourself out there and make the choice to be seen. Expression can take many forms, so seeing fashion for all bodies on high-street and in high-fashion worlds enables individuals to roll into the world in any way that they feel comfortable; be it in adaptive sportswear, or punky zip-up jeans. Whilst not every disabled person can choose whether or not to be seen, increasing representation and adaptive clothing give disabled people more opportunities to use fashion to represent themselves as they so wish. As more people get online and see content creators such as Rebecca, people can learn that “disabled” does not look just one way; nor must it, to be included in the conversation. I face the choice every day to be seen or to not be seen, but I know that whatever I choose, it will be me.
*Statistics from the UK Parliament House of Commons Library, from a report written in 2024.