Since September 2015, in conjunction with London Fashion Week, Devonshire Square has annually hosted three runway shows presented by Oxford Fashion Studio, featuring strikingly imaginative collections by emerging international designers from all continents.
The 2021’s edition of the event showcased the very first adaptive-wear collection ever presented on a fashion show, designed by fellowship award-winner Harriet Eccleston for Faduma’s Fellowship.
The outstanding collection featured design innovations such as magnetic buttons, relocated pockets, breathable fabric and hidden seams.
Faduma’s Fellowship was founded in 2021 by Faduma Farrah – who was rendered paralysed from the neck down at 34 years old – to address the very limited choices available for wheelchair users by sponsoring the creation of an adaptive-wear collection.
As a community that embraces diversity and inclusion as core values of its vision, Devonshire Square was delighted to be chosen as the hosting venue for the shows which were attended by more than 600 people and generated fantastic media coverage both in UK and abroad.
Faduma’s Fellowship has definitely inspired a much needed change in the fashion industry and we hope to see adaptive-wear collections made available for everyone in every country, following her example.
“Today we have opened the door. Hopefully, there will be many more designers out there, designing for the person in the wheelchair.” Faduma said during the inspiring speech that she delivered at Devonshire Square at the end of the show, for which she received a standing ovation.
A video of the show and an album of images featuring the whole collection presented by Faduma’s Fellowship at Devonshire Square is available on Faduma’s Fellowship’s official website.