Who Is Included When Your Design Is Both Fashionable And Functional?

Did you know that July was Disability Pride Month? Did you know that October is Dwarfism Awareness Month? Did you know that December 3 is International Day of Persons with Disabilities? If not, it is understandable. After all, they do not get the same attention from brands and the media that other Pride and awareness months and days do throughout the year. In fact, I myself did not know this until I truly tapped into and found the disability community, my disability community. But, before we get into all of that, I would love to tell you a little bit about me.

My name is Jillian Curwin. I am a former Jersey girl now living in New York City. I am a person with dwarfism/dwarf/little person which means, in very simple terms, that I have shorter arms and legs and an average-height torso. I am the only little person in my family, which is quite common for those with my type of dwarfism (of which there are, as of this writing, over 400). Growing up (and even now) I often found myself to be the only (and often first) little person to enter any given space and quickly learned that this world was not designed for someone like me. For example, the rooms in my house were littered with stools, I had sticks screwed into light switches and even my bathroom sink was turned sideways (In my younger self’s opinion this was my favorite and the coolest modification ever). At school I had a second set of books, was given extra time to walk between classes and, of course, there were extra stools put in place.

But, perhaps the greatest, constant reminder that the world I lived in was not designed for someone like me came from the fashion industry, an industry that is filled with contradictions. It upholds traditional, classic designs while at the same time demanding innovation and change. It is always looking to the future while at the same time maintaining a firm grip on the past. It strives to be more inclusive while at the same time constantly celebrating its exclusivity. It is one that frustrates me to end but that I love dearly. I vividly remember running around through Limited Too, trying to replicate the outfits as best as I can (usually this meant from the waist up), stumbling upon a little show called Project Runway and being introduced to not just Bravo but to actual designers and the process of making clothes. I also remember crying in dressing rooms because the clothes I picked out didn’t fit or didn’t look right or could not be altered without leaving too much of the garment on the cutting room floor (or all the above). I remember flipping through the pages of catalogs and editorials and never seeing any model who looked like me and thinking I could never truly belong in fashion.

It is because of all those years of past (and present) frustration and love for fashion that I built my platform Always Looking Up. I was empowered after seeing Sinead Burke on the cover of the September 2019 issue of British Vogue. It was the first time a little person had been featured on the cover of any issue of Vogue and, seeing her, was the first time I felt truly represented in the fashion industry, that perhaps things could change, and I wanted to be a part of it. Fast forward to present day and I know a lot more about the fashion industry, about adaptive fashion. At the same time, I’ve discovered and built my disability community, have come into my own as an advocate and have created a space where people with disabilities talk about living in a world that is not necessarily designed for us. 

I had If I had to estimate, approximately 90% of the clothes that have ever taken up residency in my closet had to either be altered to fit and, even then, the fit has not always been perfect. It has always been difficult trying to find clothes that not only fit, but that I love, that suit my style identity, but I’m optimistic that things will change. I have to be…

And change is happening. In 2014 Tommy Hilfiger launched their adaptive line, Tommy Adaptive. Since then we have seen brands such as Target, Zappos, JCPenneys, Victoria’s Secret and Anthropologie have entered the adaptive space, combining fashion and function to design for a clientele that has been too long ignored. We are seeing greater visibility of disabled models on the runways and in campaigns (not enough, but you can’t ignore the strides that have been made). As a disabled person, I am loving what I am seeing. As a little person, I am still waiting to be considered, to be designed for…to be seen.

This waiting does not apply to only the mainstream fashion industry. It applies to the adaptive fashion industry as well. Adaptive fashion can simply be defined as “clothing that is specially designed to help make it easier for people who have difficulty dressing.” This definition includes but is not limited to people with disabilities. Yet, despite the disability community being incredibly diverse, the scope of adaptive fashion regarding who it designs for is rather limited. As a little person, I cannot shop adaptive as it is not designed for me.

I have heard all the possible reasons as to why this is: “There are so many types for dwarfism, we can’t possibly design for them all,” “We can’t create a sizing system because there is no standard body type,”, “What about children’s clothes? After all, you’re about the same height”, “We can’t see little people in our clothes,”...and the list goes on and on and on. To me, these are just excuses.

As I am writing this, following Disability Pride Month, Fashion Month, Dwarfism Awareness Month, and with International Day of Persons with Disabilities just behind us, I want to end with this: People with dwarfism, little people, belong in fashion, deserve to be designed for, deserve to be seen. To Modern Picnic, thank you for seeing me, for including me, for designing a product that meets at the intersection of fashion and function, that is, inherently, inclusive, and for giving me this platform to share my story and to advocate for my community. To the brands that have entered the adaptive space, whether you have been in it for ten years or ten weeks, little people are a part of the disability community. To the brands that are still taking their time, that haven’t yet even considered designing for people with disabilities, what are you waiting for?