John M. Reed’s Post

We see big and small brands like Primark, 444 STUDIOS and Tommy Hilfiger doing it - and we can't wait to see more of it! Accessibility for disabled people in fashion and on the runway is crucial for promoting inclusivity and representation. It ensures that disabled individuals can participate fully in society and express themselves through fashion. Representation of disabled models challenges narrow beauty standards, providing role models for disabled individuals and educating the public to foster a more inclusive mindset. Economically, it taps into an underserved market, driving innovation and growth through adaptive clothing. From a social justice perspective, it promotes equity by removing barriers that disabled individuals face, ensuring they have the same opportunities as others. When the fashion industry embrace of accessibility it can inspire broader societal change, encouraging other industries to adopt inclusive practices. Ultimately, making fashion accessible affirms the worth of every individual, allowing everyone to experience the joy and empowerment that fashion brings, enriching the cultural fabric of society. #disability #inclusivefashion #modelagency

🩷💕 I bet you are thinking “ THAT EVENT IS TOO FAR TO TRAVEL FOR A TWO HOUR FASHION SHOW AND LUNCHEON. Welllllll!! FIRST OF ALL IT’S GOING TO BE LIKE NO OTHER. And second, if you don’t want to drive back home that same afternoon, THERE ARE WOMEN WHO ARE TRAVELING from the NORTH and the SOUTH of the event for “2 to 3 hours”to attend. THEY ARE MAKING IT A GIRLS TRIP WEEKEND!! The Palm Beach Gardens Mall is 7 minutes west of SEASON’s 52 restaurant. 5 STAR HOTELS are within 5 minutes from the Mall. There is a lot to do within a 5 to 10 mile radius in Palm Beach Gardens on PGA Boulevard, and its adjacent city to the North is Jupiter, Florida. SO WHY DON’T YOU JOIN US AND MAKE IT A GREAT WEEKEND!! VIEW THE INVITE AND REGISTER ONLINE TO ATTEND THIS PHENOMENAL FASHION SHOW AND LUNCHEON IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CHICO’s, WHITE HOUSE BLACK MARKET AND SOMA. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO MODEL, EMAIL WUFA AT [email protected] ASAP. SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!! 💕Join us on Saturday April 6th from 12:00 noon to 2:00 pm at Seasons 52, located at 11611 Ellison Wilson Road in Palm Beach Gardens Florida. YOU NEED TO BE HERE!!! Registration is non-refundable, so make sure you can attend. WE WILL SEE YOU THERE!!! YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS IT!!! REMEMBER TO WEAR WHITE FOR THE PHOTO’s!! #selfcare #communityresources #autismawareness #autismmom #disability #autismacceptance #disabilityawareness #momsneedabreak #momsofchildrendiagnosedwithadisability

🩷💕 I bet you are thinking “ THAT EVENT IS TOO FAR TO TRAVEL FOR A TWO HOUR FASHION SHOW AND LUNCHEON. Welllllll!! FIRST OF ALL IT’S GOING TO BE LIKE NO OTHER. And second, if you don’t want to drive back home that same afternoon, THERE ARE WOMEN WHO ARE TRAVELING from the NORTH and the SOUTH of the event for “2 to 3 hours”to attend. THEY ARE MAKING IT A GIRLS TRIP WEEKEND!! The Palm Beach Gardens Mall is 7 minutes west of SEASON’s 52 restaurant. 5 STAR HOTELS are within 5 minutes from the Mall. There is a lot to do within a 5 to 10 mile radius in Palm Beach Gardens on PGA Boulevard, and its adjacent city to the North is Jupiter, Florida. SO WHY DON’T YOU JOIN US AND MAKE IT A GREAT WEEKEND!! VIEW THE INVITE AND REGISTER ONLINE TO ATTEND THIS PHENOMENAL FASHION SHOW AND LUNCHEON IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CHICO’s, WHITE HOUSE BLACK MARKET AND SOMA. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO MODEL, EMAIL WUFA AT [email protected] ASAP. SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!! 💕Join us on Saturday April 6th from 12:00 noon to 2:00 pm at Seasons 52, located at 11611 Ellison Wilson Road in Palm Beach Gardens Florida. YOU NEED TO BE HERE!!! Registration is non-refundable, so make sure you can attend. WE WILL SEE YOU THERE!!! YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS IT!!! REMEMBER TO WEAR WHITE FOR THE PHOTO’s!! #selfcare #communityresources #autismawareness #autismmom #disability #autismacceptance #disabilityawareness #momsneedabreak #momsofchildrendiagnosedwithadisability

Eid Mubarak. To colleagues. Friends. Wider LinkedIn followers from right across the world. Enjoy the festivities and celebrations. Visual was taken in my local. Quite rural. Asda store. Signal of real progress. Understanding. And a sense of connecting with the community. The store has also been brilliant with their relatively new customer. Often now I take the twins on my own. Baskets on wheels. And between the three of us. We can do a fairly big shop independently. Sometimes if a basket is too heavy we leave it at the till and then return. Help on tap to pack the items in the bags and some long arms to carry to car. An example of a great customer experience. My personal posts aim to bring to life the why. And how we can all contribute to changing the disability conversation. Having a selection of adaptive clothing would also send a strong progressive signal. The designers are in place. Victoria Jenkins. Chamiah Dewey. Kat Paylor-Bent. To name three. Delighted for you to give shout outs to others. Adaptive clothing is more for mainstreamed audiences than you might think. People like me. Very bespoke. So wouldn’t expect. But that shouldn’t mean no to many other peers. Purple Tuesday has made it comfortable to talk disability as a twin commercial and common sense issue. Mainstreamed adaptive clothing can be a competitive advantage. Just ask Primark. And it doesn’t need to be tokenistic. The T-shirt in the visual was one of many options to purchase. We are getting there. We need to go faster. Is your business a pioneer. Give them a shout out. Or serious about selling to the disability market. Become a pioneer. And an EnableAll vendor. Increasing inclusion Tuesday. #Eid #EidMubarak #Celebration #Ramadan #Pioneer #AccessibleFashion #AccessibleRetail #CommonSense #DisabilityMarket #PurplePound #PurpleTuesday #DisabilityConversation31 #BeASue Image Description: A photo of a T-shirt hanging on a rail in Mike’s local supermarket. The T-shirt reads ‘Eid Mubarak’ in multi-coloured writing.

At a time when people are looking for honest and authentic on-screen portrayals, brands have the opportunity to foster positive conversations by partnering with relatable role models. Bottega Veneta's recent Father’s Day #campaign featuring A$AP Rocky celebrates Black fatherhood, showcasing the joys of parenting through a series of black and white portraits. In a statement, the rapper expressed the significance of advocating for fatherhood in a #culture where the player persona often takes centre stage. This campaign marks A$AP Rocky's second collaboration with the luxury brand, emphasising the evolving narrative around #masculinity and #parenthood. With media representations shifting towards equality, stereotypes surrounding parenting responsibilities are being debunked. More men, especially Black fathers, are actively engaging in childcare responsibilities, challenging outdated #narratives. Recent data shows that 70% of Black fathers living with their children are actively involved in daily caregiving tasks, surpassing their White and Hispanic counterparts. By partnering with male role models like A$AP Rocky, brands have the opportunity to promote #inclusive and #authentic representations of Black fatherhood. Embracing #diverse perspectives and championing new modes of #representation can pave the way for more meaningful and empowering narratives in #media and #advertising. Signal credit Tami Makinde https://lnkd.in/gdBr7feq

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about #KamalaHarris's #chucksandpearls and what the look can teach us about #branding. It's been a few years since women wore this combo to honor the inauguration of the first woman VP of the US, but the look remains fresh, as ascendant as the woman it represents. Chucks and pearls will never NOT be cool. Why? Tension, I tell you. If you have no imagination, Chucks and pearls don't go together. They're opposites. They clash. That's a good thing, though. Because if you are someone with a progressive attitude, someone who is interested in being #iconic, or iconoclastic even, then you WANT that kind of dissonance. You NEED that fuck-you. "Chucks and Pearls" is brilliant because it's an oxymoron. Elegantly gritty. Masculine femininity. Both elements are classic but in opposing ways. Priss meets punk. This is revolutionary, world-changing energy. 💣 It calls to mind one of my favorite clients ever, BUSCEMI. About a decade ago, before every #luxuryfashionhouse on earth walked #streetwear down their runways, this genius #sneakerbrand created $1200 high tops inspired by the #birkinbag. 👟 At the time, their tagline was "Obnoxiously High Quality." 👟 I changed it to OBNOXIOUSLY ELEGANT. I wanted to crystalize the oxymoronic idea of combining high and low culture in one irresistible, utterly unique brand at the beginning of its outsize influence on the #fashionindustry. If you're working on building a brand and you can't think of a #brandstory that is interesting and makes sense, start thinking about doing something that makes NO sense. Challenge yourself to create interest by combining two opposing ideas in an undeniably cool way. Some of the most intriguing brand stories of our time are built on this kind of tension. Liquid Death comes to mind. What else? What other brands do you love for their oxymoronic attitude? . . .

Glad The Cut is covering the "unbranding", or rebranding, of Abercrombie. However let's not overlook highlighting the biggest point: ❗️they use inclusive marketing and sizing.❗️ Those once excluded are now the customer. 📈The Change Driver: Abercrombie was one of the first companies to shoot their product with more than one model, to represent the smaller and larger sizes of the spectrum. Now customers can see models that actually look like them (both in terms of body size, and demographics), and find product in sizes above a large. Additionally the brand has done great work with the Trevor Project and including the LGBTQ+ community. Those who were purposefully excluded from the Abercrombie of the 2000s (because of size, skin color, and more) - Can now be part of the Brand experience. 👕 In middle school I could only fit into the boys clothing, and it made me miserable. Today, while I try to avoid faster fashion brands, I love the Abercrombie curve line and I'm happy to see women and young girls wearing cute clothes that actually fit them (also offer petites in addition to plus) AND are marketed directly to them. 💎 Many brands can learn from the Abercrombie rebranding project. Inclusivity IS profitable if done in an authentic way. #TheCut #NewYorkMagazine #Retail #Rebranding #Abercrombie #Inclusion #InclusiveFashion #InclusionandDiversity

Want to be a better Ally to those in the LGBTQIA+ community? Here are 7 questions corporate leaders and brand leads should ask themselves as they shake off their branded rainbow costumes in the name of allyship. Thank you to Gemma Saunders 🌈 GAICD, Founder of Workplace Edit who has written some really insightful tips published on Aquent Australia's blog

Embracing Fashion for All: The rise of adaptive Clothing. Thank you Carina Birt for telling me about this Adaptive Fashion feature and the ground breaking work being done. Having recently connected with Funmi Lawal who is the founder of an adaptive clothing brand I am excited to see these changes coming to life. In a world where style knows no bounds, adaptive clothing emerges as a beacon of inclusion and empowerment. For individuals facing chronic disabilities, mobility issues, or confined to wheelchairs, traditional fashion often presents barriers rather than choices. But the tide is turning. Enter adaptive clothing - a revolution in high street fashion that caters to diverse needs and preferences. Front fastening, magnetic buttons, Velcro closures, and innovative designs offer not just style, but confidence and freedom to those who need it most. At Birmingham City University, one student's dissertation on adaptive fashion underscores a pivotal shift towards inclusivity. It's not just about garments; it's about dignity, expression, and breaking down barriers. Let's champion fashion for all - where everyone finds their perfect fit. #AdaptiveFashion #InclusiveStyle #FashionForAll #Empowerment #femalefounder #newwaysofworking #bbc #catwalk2024 #londonfashionweek #parisfashionweek #milanfashionweek

This post from Jamie Shields is a great example of how to make an infographic accessible. Jamie's use of an image description makes the content available for more people while also drawing attention to the purpose of the graphic's layers. My first review of the post focused on the image and the descriptions beside the images of the shoes. I did not review the background image with much depth. However, after reviewing the copy that accompanied the infographic and reviewing the image description, I was even more impressed with the build of the content. The purpose of the layers was very impactful. This post is a great reminder to: 1. Provide image descriptions to make graphics accessible to more people. 2. Review all the layers of an infographic, as the developer was likely intending to say more than just the message conveyed by the words or boldest images. Bravo Jamie Shields for providing this great graphic and example of improving accessibility.