SDA Book Club: The Intersection of Fashion and Disability reviewed by Vivien Zepf
September 6, 2024
The Intersection of Fashion and Disability: A Historical Analysis by Kate Annett-Hitchcock
That human bodies come in all shapes and sizes, belonging to individuals expressing different abilities, has been recognized for centuries. The London Tradesman in 1747, for example, noted that a tailor must “…not only to cut for the Handsome and Well-shaped, but to bestow a good shape where Nature has not designed it…He must study not only the Shape, but the common Gait of the Subject he is working upon, and make the Cloaths [sic] fit easy in spite of a stiff Gait, or awkard [sic] Air.” The history of Western fashion, however, hasn’t comprehensively included the voices, makers and garments that address the needs and challenges of people with disabilities. Kate Annett-Hitchcock’s book, The Intersection of Fashion and Disability: A Historical Analysis, takes a step towards bridging that gap, expanding our understanding of the past and putting into context contemporary advances in the field of accessible fashion.
Referencing years of research, Annett-Hitchcock takes her readers on a chronological journey that speaks to garment adaptation and evolution, along with maker creativity. For centuries, the home sewer or bespoke tailor could try to devise ways to overcome the challenges of an individual’s specific needs. Perhaps you’d be interested to learn that the design of the today’s athletic-wear raglan sleeve can be traced back to Britain’s 1st Baron Raglan who, after his right arm was partially amputated after the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, commissioned a coat that would give him greater motion in his left arm. As the fashion industry moved from personalized garment fabrication to mass production, the needs of the individual were subsumed by the economic benefits of clothing with standardized sizing and cut. The result: those with physical limitations had more obstacles to overcome and fewer options available for clothing that enabled them to live comfortably and express any fashionable style.
Annett-Hitchcock posits that personal experiences and/or the difficulties faced by loved ones have inspired many, if not most, of the contemporary advances in accessible fashion since the early twentieth century. She devotes two-thirds of her book focusing on entrepreneurs, associations, and individuals who redesigned garments to address a need—such as how someone confined to a wheelchair might self-dress—and then worked to get them into the hands and homes of the disabled consumer. The author discusses developments in rehabilitative care that include the donning and doffing of clothing as important steps towards independence and self-actualization. She also speaks to more current events highlighting, for example, how social media has created a platform for social activism, helping to raise the public’s awareness of the voices and styles of the disabled community. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, mothers of disabled children have collaborated with Target to develop a line of accessible children’s clothing and Nike has created an easy-on/off athletic shoe that doesn’t require hands for fastening. Though encouraging, it’s clear there’s still more to do to bring options to the mainstream.
The Intersection of Fashion and Disability was not intended to be the final treatise on the subject; Annett-Hitchcock writes that “The desire of all people to fashion their appearance as a form of self-expression deserves to be acknowledged and understood…. “ and that she “…only started to scratch the surface of what is out there.” I hope other scholars will expand upon the work Annett-Hitchcock has started. [I am a non-disabled individual like the author and] I have already learned so very much. I hope others, too, will turn to the book to be inspired by the ingenuity, drive and voices of the disabled community and those who work to support them.
–Viven Zepf
- Publisher: Bloomsbury (buy it here)
- Date: December 2023
- ISBN: 978-1350143104
If you’ve read this book, leave a comment and let us know what you think!
Do you have a recommendation for a recent fiber-related book you think should be included in SDA’s Book Club? Email SDA’s Managing Editor, Lauren Sinner, to let her know!
