ASOS, the UK-based brand took the internet by storm this week with the drop of a jumpsuit that caters specifically to the handicapped community.
According to a 2018 Flare report, the item, which dropped on the site on July 4, was designed in collaboration with British journalist and para-athlete Chloe Ball-Hopkins. A wheelchair user herself, Ball-Hopkins is also featured in the campaign images.
The idea for the brightly coloured, waterproof suit came after a particularly uncomfortable festival experience at last year’s Splendourfest in Nottingham, England. Ball-Hopkins, wet and cold after roughing it in inclement weather, was forced to resort to some unfashionable and uncomfortable clothing. “I ended up kind of wearing the sheets out [of] the back of the car,” she tells FLARE. “It didn’t feel like it was particularly fashionable for someone my age.” Returning home, she reached out to several fashion brands to share her story and when ASOS responded she was ecstatic—if not, seriously surprised. What followed was a collaboration culminating in the creation of this seriously cute and versatile jumpsuit, according to a 2018 Flare report.
Fashion lovers and disability advocates applauded ASOS and Ball-Hopkins for their work through social media.
Gurls Talk, said, “Great to see this sort of representation on the @ASOS website. Shopping is something most of us take for granted in terms of representation. Seeing disabled people in the media through campaigns, as actors, singers is so important as it challenges the stigma around disabilities.”
“I think people are starting to realize the difficulty that people have in chairs,” Ball-Hopkins said to Flare in a 2018 report. “The difficulty of not actually seeing yourself reflected in the products you’re shopping for.”
ASOS’ website reads, “Accessible clothing is an area that we’re looking to make improvements in, both in terms of designing clothes differently and helping people with specific needs find what they’re looking for more easily.” We couldn’t agree more.
2 Comments
Go ASOS! So good to see that fashion is becoming more and more inclusive every day
This is such an incredible story and interesting article. I love how it is emphasized that they wanted accessible clothing that they would like and find stylish.