Fashion Week! My favorite time of year when people gather to see new trends, styles, and statements created by brilliant designers. My favorite thing in fashion week this year was the wonderful and powerful statements that were made and that are changing the fashion industry and society drastically. The statements are being made not only with the clothes, but with the models themselves.
This year in New York, the first model with Down syndrome walked the catwalk (pictured above), and there was such an overall positive reaction.
Also in New York, the FTL MODA show featured disabled models from all around the world. A 25-year-old man named Jack Eyers (pictured right) walked the catwalk. He was born with a disorder and chose to amputate his leg at 16. “To be the first male amputee model on a New York Fashion Week runway feels amazing — it feels like such a big deal,” Eyers told Caters News in a press release.
Another disabled person who got their wish granted this year in fashion week was 16-year-old Megan Silcott, who was paralyzed from the neck down overnight from an undiagnosed case of mono. Her ambition and willpower was evident when she defied what the doctors thought was possible and walked down the runway.
Dolce & Gabbana celebrated motherhood by having their models walk with babies, toddlers, children, and even baby bumps. The show was called “Viva La Mamma” and was in celebration of mothers everywhere.
Another designer in Paris celebrated the human body by sending his models out on the runway nude. This was shocking to some, but it was seen as beautifully and artistically executed by others.
A very amazing statement made this year in New York was gender equality. People in the Twitter-sphere have been talking about “the great gender blur of 2015” — the transition and merging of conventional male and female clothing. It was especially prominent in the males as they modeled more feminine styles this year.
“The whole perception of sexual orientation is being challenged by the millennials,” said Lucie Greene. The designers’ inspirations were what kids were wearing on the streets. They say that you really can’t tell now-a-days who’s a boy and who’s a girl, but who said that was bad? I think we are finally embracing being able to step outside conventionality.