Before we get carried away the jumpsuit is currently the only item of clothing on the site that’s been produced for people who use wheelchairs. But it is a start! And what a start!
Chloe Ball-Hopkins, a Paralympic athlete for Team GB and reporter for BBC Bristol Sport revealed that she’d collaborated with the retailer to create a waterproof jumpsuit that’s wheel-chair friendly.
Chloe Ball-Hopkins
The tie-dye one-piece, which costs £50, is fully waterproof and has been designed with an adjustable hood, a longer hem at the back and soft jersey lining on the inside.
The shopping site has been praised for providing an example of ‘diversity without tokenism’ for photographing Ball-Hopkins in a typical modelling setting as opposed to a ‘special one-off to gain attention’.
And then there are others who know that the industry has to change. TV producer, Chaz McAlpin, who runs a channel for disabled people says no one designs a range of clothes that are both fashionable and functional, for people with diverse physical needs. So he’s challenged students to come up with a range of clothes that is suitable for everyone.
We’ve repeatedly spoken about the purple pound (£250 billion per annum) and it’s still a mystery as to why the fashion industry only pays lip service to disabled people.
Everyone know’s that the lack of body diversity in the fashion industry extends beyond size and skin colour, leaving many feeling excluded.
But ‘blogger’ Sophie Bradbury-Cox, has praised ASOS tweeting “This is so awesome – everything I’m fighting for!”.
Sophie, 30, loves colour. A quick scroll through her Instagram and you feel like you’re dancing through a rainbow.
Sophie, who has spinal muscular atrophy type three, has made it her aim to inspire other people with disabilities to enjoy fashion to the full.
She stated, “I started my Instagram account because I wanted to show other disabled people that you can be sitting in a wheelchair and still have your own sense off style.”
And the last words to Chloe Ball-Hopkins. “So over the last several months I have been working with ASOS to create a fashionable, yet practical waterproof all in one! Not just for people like me in a chair but for anyone. It’s about making fashion accessible! So what should be next?”