logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2022
18m 46s

The adaptive fashion revolution

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Adaptive fashion, or stylish clothes for people who have a disability have not always been widely available, especially for those who use a wheelchair. Recently though, a fashion revolution has begun.

We hear from the women pushing the industry to change. British Somali Faduma Farah launched a fellowship for designers to come up with an inclusive collection that would be modelled at London Fashion Week. We speak to Faduma and the winning designer Harriet Eccleston, as well as stylist and influencer Heide Herkes who was one of the models featured on the runway during the show – the first ever to include wheelchair users. Plus, Maria O'Sullivan-Abeyratne, CEO and founder of Adaptista, tells us about the inclusive online shopping platform she’s building for the adaptive fashion market.

Presenter: Vivienne Nunis Producer: Izzy Greenfield Image: Faduma Farah, founder of the Faduma Fellowship; Credit: BBC

Up next
Today
Sierra Leone: Tracking a drug kingpin
In the second of two episodes, Ed Butler tracks the whereabouts and connections of one of Europe's most wanted drug criminals. Despite denials from the President's family, law enforcement agencies say Jos Leijdekkers is enjoying privileged status in Sierra Leone. The country's Ju ... Show More
19m 52s
Apr 2026
Headspace: from mindfulness app to military partner
Headspace started life as a mindfulness app. Now it's partnering with the US Navy and investing in artificial intelligence for mental health support.The company's CEO Tom Pickett speaks to us about therapy, the increasing role of technology, and tackling burnout at scale.If you'd ... Show More
17m 28s
Apr 2026
Anthropic: the $300bn AI firm at war with the White House
Anthropic’s rise from startup to one of the world’s leading players in artificial intelligence has been staggering, but so in recent weeks has been its row with the US Government.Today, we look at that journey to becoming a 380 billion dollar company, ask why Claude has become on ... Show More
17m 28s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2024
Fashion without barriers
What we wear helps us express ourselves and communicate to others in the most immediate way. But the tools we frequently use to do that, such as clothing and haircare are not available to everyone equally.One in six of us has a disability of some sort - according to the World Hea ... Show More
22m 59s
Nov 2021
Sinead Burke: ‘Fashion has the power to change how society views people.’
<p>Sinéad Burke refuses to be excluded, despite fashion’s poor record on welcoming people  with disabilities. </p> <p>In a wide-ranging interview, featured in the third episode of The BoF Show, Sinéad reminisces on her fashion journey — from calling out the industry for entrenche ... Show More
22m 34s
May 2023
Fashion Re-imagined
FASHION RE-IMAGINED: Laurie Taylor talks to Angela McRobbie, Emeritus Professor at Goldsmiths, University of London about the working lives of independent designers in London, Berlin and Milan, at a time when fashion is under the spotlight due to concerns about the environment an ... Show More
28m 17s
Dec 2020
‘Change Isn’t Good Enough if It’s Just Change for Me’
<p><em>Can fashion avoid tokenism and make sincere inclusivity a reality? At BoF VOICES, Sinéad Burke and Samira Nasr talk about how to be an inclusive leader in 2020.</em></p> <p> </p> <p>After a year when awareness of the need for greater racial, physical and socioeconomic incl ... Show More
33m 54s
May 2025
Modest Fashion at a Crossroads
It's a pivotal moment for modest fashion. Spending by Muslim consumers on fashion is projected to hit $428 billion by 2027, marking significant annual growth. Yet despite booming demand, modest fashion remains commercially fragmented and struggles for global recognition. Emirati ... Show More
24m 28s
Aug 2021
Inclusive, Purpose-Driven - the Future of Fashion According to Kenyan Designer Anyango Mpinga
<p>Everyone's talking about climate action and social change - but Fashion is still carrying on like it's 1999. The velvet rope! Exclusivity! Snobbery and barriers to entry that lock many young designers with new ideas, out. <strong>Fashion weeks </strong>alone are massive carbon ... Show More
39m 26s
Nov 2021
Fashion's Future Moment
It was May 2019 when Dutch startup, The Fabricant, made a splash on the fashion scene with the debut of their Iridescence dress, a luminous cape-like gown that glowed with highlights of purple. But this was no ordinary dress. The Iridescence dress is a digital asset that was auct ... Show More
38m 28s
Nov 2025
Limitless Looks, Less Waste: Holly Garrard on Building a Purpose-Driven Fashion Brand
tail spinning
43m 18s
Sep 2023
Fashion Month Edition: Susan Fang on leveraging AI for her London Fashion Week show
It’s a new era for fashion month, where designer collections are just one piece of the pie. As brands across price points and specialties aim to compete in the increasingly competitive retail landscape, more are taking advantage of the opportunity and approaching it strategically ... Show More
29m 35s