Unhidden's show at London Fashion Week opened with alternative metal band Mallovara declaring that “Enough is enough”, referring to the ongoing attack on disabled people’s rights.
Victoria Jenkins, 39, founder of Unhidden, is a familiar face to some as a guest judge on the Great British Sewing Bee. She tells Glamour, “We've got some outerwear and some tailoring, which I've been really looking forward to getting out there. And we've also got your basics and your mixed separates. But I think this is a bit more fun; we've got some print. There's some colour.” A particular favourite from audience members, which included TikTok influencer Helena Moody and comedian Rosie Jones, was a new pair of adapted leopard print trousers.
Adaptive fashion – fashion that is inclusive of disabled people through its design features, such as zips for stomas and reduced seams for sensory conditions – is estimated to be worth a whopping $18.5 billion (approximately £13.7 billion). This number is set to grow, along with the disabled population, who already make up 24% of the UK’s population. Other adaptive fashion brands are set to follow suit, such as with the rise of BraEasy, Dewey, and Intotum.
A garment technologist by trade, Victoria previously worked for Victoria Beckham before going freelance and launching her own label. It was a hospital stay that inspired the beginning of Unhidden, after Victoria witnessed another patient having to expose more of the body than was needed to receive treatment.
Collection items include a double-layered dress, hoodies, and adapted trousers. Whenever collections have debuted by Unhidden, including the collaboration with Kurt Geiger in 2023, Victoria has employed disabled models. 'Smile', the new single by Mallavora, soundtracked the show; statement pieces of the show spelt out snappy, political slogans, spelt out from sequins crafted by hand from medical wrappers. Victoria appeared in a wraparound blouse with medical wrapper sequins, leopard print trousers, and a blue glitter cane from Cool Crutches.
When asked about the collection's name, ‘Well Fair’, Victoria said: “The [disabled] community's been through a lot this year.
“I wanted to sort of comment on the fact that we get thrown to the wolves a lot in the media, and this is kind of, I wanna turn some of those narratives on their head.”
A reference to the contentious Welfare Reform Bill, which saw months of protests and warnings from over 100 creatives who signed an open letter, narratives on what it means to be disabled in the 21st century included the suggestion of shirking work, or being akin to a ‘scrounger’. Victoria’s models debuted the collection with slogans such as ‘Not A Burden’ and ‘Well Fair State’.
For many disabled people working in creative industries, there's often an expectation that we should be grateful for the exposure, rather than expecting payment for our labour. Victoria pushes back on this stereotype. “We're not sort of just hiring people and not paying them,” she explains. “I think it's really important that people know everyone's being paid!”
Other show partners included the adaptive beauty brand Human Beauty, which went viral thanks to an appearance on Dragon’s Den earlier this year, alongside Fortnum & Mason, which provided champagne to guests.
“I think every single show so far, people forget that the clothes are the story as well. It's not just the models. It is the clothes themselves that do something, and I think that gets lost a lot,” reflects Victoria.
Consider this, then. The total worth of the spending power of disabled people in the UK is estimated to be £274 billion. Yet £2 billion is estimated to be lost on the high street each month, due to a lack of access for disabled people.
Jenkins calls upon the fashion industry to do better, in a simple call to arms: “Too often we get expected to be grateful for crumbs. Disabled models might be gifted stuff, but they won't get paid, or they won't get paid the same as their non-disabled counterparts.”
So, what's next for adaptive fashion? Victoria reflects, “The sky’s the limit”.
Threatening to take away our independence, safety and healthcare is not only cruel, but inhumane.
