GETTYIMAGESThinkofdisability-friendlyfashion
andwhatusuallycomestomindis
clothes lacking any fit, form or
style, like oversized tracksuits or
hospitalpyjamas.Butontherun-
way at Mercedes-Benz Fashion
Festival Brisbane this year, each
pieceinCarolTaylor’sMeQcollec-
tionwashidinga littlesecret:they
had all been designed for people
with disabilities. Taylor, who has
quadriplegia,heightenedwaistlines
for those of us in wheelchairs,
switchedawkwardbuttons forconcealedmagnets andreplaced
fiddlyzipswithonesthatcouldbedoneupeasilybysomeonewho
findssuchtasksdifficult,asI do.Likeallinclusivefashion,each
piececouldbewornbysomeonewithorwithouta disability.
I wasthrilledtobeoneofthemodelsforthisgroundbreaking
momentinAustralianfashion.Ourindustryhasbeensadlylagging
behindtherestof theworldwhenit comesto representingdisability.
Brandssuchas TommyHilfigerandSamantaBullockhaveseenthe
potentialincreatingclotheswiththedisabledconsumerinmind,
andmodelsin wheelchairs,withprostheticsand
allsortsof othervisibledisabilitieshavebeen
gracingtherunways of Milan,London, New
York,Moscow, Paris and Aucklandfor years.
Butthistimeit washappeningforus.I worea
two-pieceensemblefeaturinga full-lengthskirt
andhalter-stylebonedbodicewitha lowfront.
Thisrevealingdetailwassimilarto a gownI had
wornontherunwayseveralyearsbefore.Only
backthen,I waswalking.
I modelled in my teens and early twenties
between two university degrees (in business
communicationsandmedia)andworkingfull-
timein advertisingagenciesacrossthecountry.I
hadbeenonrunwaysandphotoshootsforyears,
experiencinglifeonbothsidesof thecamera.
In 2005, at age 24, I was at Melbourne
Airport when I had a brain haemorrhage,
followed by a massive stroke. It was caused by an infection
(Streptococcus-A),andto thisday, nobodyknows howI con-
tractedit.I spentthenextthreeweeksina comaandtwomonths
onlifesupport.Pneumonia,heartattacksanduncontrollablesei-
zurestookholdofmybodyas allofmyorgansshutdown.I spent
overa yearinhospitalthefirsttimeandunderwentovera dozen
operationsandprocedures.Thisincludedheartsurgeryandthe
amputationofoneleg,allmyremainingtoesandninefingertips.
I’vesincereturnedtohospitalfora totalhipreplacementandopen
heartsurgery.Thepermanentdamagetomybrainhasaffectedmy
speechandmemory,andleftmeover 25 percentblind,epileptic
andfrequentlyfatigued.Osteoarthritishasset up home in nearly
every joint throughout my body as well.
Exceptformy longblondhair,
thereisn’tmuchaboutmenowthat
fits the stereotype of a runway
model. In many ways, that’s pre-
cisely why I do it. As one of
Australia’sfewmodelswitha visible
disability, I have a tapestry of
imperfectscars,and I’mproud of
everyoneofthem.Eachrepresents
a battlewithillnessI’vefoughtand
won.Sothisyear,I tooktotherun-
wayinmywheelchair,withmyopen-heartsurgeryscarexposed.
Physically,I lookdifferent,butmentally,I havea similarmindset
totheoneI hadbeforemystroke.Butdespitemyattitudenothav-
ingchangedmuch,I’vecometo noticesociety’sattitudetowardsme
has.Recently,I askeddesignersforphotographerrecommendations,
andthereplieswerecomingin thickandfastuntilI mentionedthat
I wasphysicallydisabled.Theresponsesstoppedimmediately.I still
attendcocktailparties,glamorouseventsandfunctions,butfinding
somethingtowearis alwaysdifficult.I usedtowalkintostoresand
bea magnet forsalesassistants.Now,I wheel
into stores — with disposable income and a
creditcard,likemanypeoplewithdisabilities—
andfindit incrediblyhardtogetservice.From
a business perspective, it makes no sense to
ignoredisabledconsumers.
Ata fashioneventa fewyearsago,I inter-
vieweddesignersontheredcarpetandlistened
as theyspokeproudlyof how‘diverse’theircol-
lectionswere.Asa longtimeinclusionadvocate,
I couldn’twaitfortheshowto begin.Butas
eachmodeltooktotherunway,I becamemore
andmoredisappointed.Yes,therewasa diver-
sitythatwaswonderfulto see.Butthatdiversity
extendedonlyas faras theskincolour,ethnicity
orsizeofthemodels.Whilethisis important,
therewasnotraceofdisability—whichis a
reality for one in five people (4.3 million
Australianslivewithsomeformofdisability).It’salmostas if these
modelsrepresenteda safelevelof diversityforAustralianaudiences,
whoperhapsweren’treadytoseea modelwitha visibledisability.
Sowhyshouldweincludedisabledpeopleinfashion?Tostart
with,it makeseconomicsense.Valuingthedisabilitydollar not
onlymakesyourbrandmoresociallyresponsible,butit canalso
improveyourbottomline.Designerswanttheirpiecestobesig-
nificant,meaningfulandmemorable,sothey’lloftenusetheircol-
lectionstodrawattentiontolargersocialissuessuchas sustainable
fashion.Butbyrepresentingthosewithdisabilities,designershave
a veryrealchancetonotonlycreatebeautifulgarments,butalso
breakdownstereotypesandnormalisewhatis a verynormalpart
of our society. For that, they will certainly be remembered.At24,modelandwriter
LisaCoxgota rare
infectionthatputherin
a comaandlefther
withmultipledisabilities.
Here,sherelateshow
shewasforcedtohit
restartonherlife,
andhowsheisplaying
herpartintheadaptive
fashion revolutionThe year that
changed my life
Lisa Cox.60 HARPERSBAZAAR.COM.AU December 2019
VIEWpoint