Open Style Lab Spotlights Disability Awareness and Fashion Inclusivity at NYFW
Courtesy IMAXTree for Genentech
New York Fashion Week hasn't always been at the forefront of inclusivity and accessibility, but a recent runway show featuring the spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) community is on a mission to change that.
On Thursday Sept. 8 Open Style Lab (OSL), a nonprofit organization committed to making style accessible for everyone regardless of their cognitive and physical abilities, hosted a first-of-its kind fashion show, Double Take, in partnership with the SMA community to "increase disability visibility, break down stereotypes and champion adaptive fashion," according to a statement from OSL.
The show featured 15 members of the disability community — including YouTubers Shane and Hannah Burcaw, plus singer-songwriter James Ian — who took to the runway in innovative pieces designed in partnership with biotech company Genentech as a part of their SMA My Way initiative, to accommodate each models' individual needs.
SMA is a rare, progressive neuromuscular disease that affects the nerve cells in the spinal cords, which can lead to muscle weakness that impacts daily functions such as walking, breathing and dressing.
IMAXTree for Genentech
Actress and model Sawsan Zakaria, who wore a metallic blue look down the runway, participated in the event to empower people with SMA like herself to express themselves through clothing. "When people first look at somebody with a disability, they have these automatic assumptions about them," she told the New York Times.
"That's the first take, and the second is us going down the runway, we are looking stylish, looking fabulous in clothing you can't really tell is adaptive, which is what we want to start to go towards. It's a representation of the fact that people with disabilities can be stylish, and can show their personality through fashion."
RELATED: All the Must-See Moments from New York Fashion Week
According to WWD, the organization's adaptive fashion fellows, some of whom also have disabilities, worked with members of SMA community on customized pieces, such as garments with hidden magnetic closures as an alternative to hard-to-fasten buttons and sleeves adapted for easier wheelchair use.
"I collaborated with several people living with spinal muscular atrophy to co-create accessible garments that fit both their personalities and their individual needs, including Shane Burcaw, who has SMA and uses a power wheelchair," Andrea Saieh, an Open Style Lab 2022 Fellow told WWD on designing the social media star's Double Take ensemble.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free weekly newsletter to get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.
Burcaw, who, alongside his wife Hannah, documents his journey with SMA to over one million subscribers, opened up about his struggle with clothing as someone with the condition.
"For a person with spinal muscular atrophy, who is sitting all the time, suit jackets can be difficult to put on and frumpy, very unsexy," he told WWD, adding that his wedding-day suiting was "tough to get on" even though it was custom-tailored. "Ultimately, Double Take is about celebrating differences, not trying to erase them. Fashion allows you to do that — to embrace the things that make you different," he shared.
