Latest news with #adaptivefashion
The Sun
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Major Primark shake-up as Scots store among first to launch
PRIMARK have made a major new change - and a Scots store is among the first to launch. For the last year, the store has been working with activist Sophie Morgan. 2 2 The campaigner is behind wheelchair mannequins, which she created back in 2009. Sophie approached Primark with a partnership plan and now the seated mannequin is appearing in 20 stores, with the intention to expand across more stores over time. One of those is Primark on Edinburgh's Princes Street. A staff member said: "Today we have launched our new 'Sophie' mannequins. "We have been working on bringing diversity into our mannequin range to be more inclusive and representative of our customers. "Working together with Sophie Morgan we now have a wheelchair user mannequin pose to celebrate diversity through inclusion." In line with Primark's pledge to make it a more accessible place to work and shop, the seated mannequin joins the existing range of Primark's fuller figure mannequins and wider skin tone ranges for lingerie and nightwear. The 'Sophie' will be used in store to highlight Primark's adaptive range - the first permanent high street men's and women's collection for disabled people. Sophie said: "This project is incredibly close to my heart - it's been over 15 years in the making. Major Primark shake-up as Scots store among first to launch "To be able to go into a major high street retailer like Primark and see a mannequin that looks like me is deeply emotional. 'Sophie' represents more than just a mannequin; she's a symbol of progress and visibility. "Working with Primark to create her has been a dream, every detail, from her posture to the design of the wheelchair as a natural extension of the body has been carefully considered to reflect the real lives of wheelchair users. "I can't wait to see how people respond to her.' And fashion fans are loving the new addition. One said: "This is incredible, as a wheelchair user the feeling of not being seen is huge. This really is a massive step forward it's a shame it's taken so long to represent us." Another said: "This is so freaking incredible, Sophie! You continue to change the world."
CNA
28-05-2025
- Health
- CNA
CNA938 Rewind - A Letter to Myself: Claudia Poh and the empowering function of adaptive fashion
CNA938 Rewind Play Claudia Poh is the founder of adaptive fashion label Werable, which designs clothes and accessories that can be more easily used by everyone, regardless of their physical abilities. Claudia shares how a pivotal encounter with a lady who had been diagnosed with a medical condition that limited her mobility, opened her eyes to the empowering potential of adaptive fashion, and how she's grown through her journey as a fashion entrepreneur.
CTV News
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
‘Clothes are meant to fit you, not the other way around': N.S. designer creates inclusive clothing line
Navdeep Parmanand, the founder of Celebrate Your Curves, is pictured with models Jessie Taylor and Jaskirat Singh Pandher. (CTV Atlantic / Brianne Foley) Navdeep Parmanand has created an accessible custom clothing line in honour of her late brother who lived with muscular dystrophy. 'You're going to live on, through the people that I support in my life,' Parmanand told CTV through tears when remembering her brother. 'It's not that a legacy has ended, even though you're not here. I am supporting you and I see you in every person that walks into this world.' Vikas passed away in 2020, inspiring Parmanand to pursue something she always dreamed of. 'It was a lot of grief and a lot of pain for me. After I went through the grief period I was like there is nothing holding me back and I really want to do it,' she said. Navdeep Parmanand Navdeep Parmanand is pictured with her late brother Vikas. With the support from her parents back in India, she began Celebrate Your Curves. 'We create custom clothing for people of all shapes, all sizes and all abilities. So, we have some wool long blazers and we also have custom, made-to-measure full pantsuits as well and then we have introduced our adaptive clothing line last year,' said Parmanand. The clothes are designed to ensure everyone feels good in what they wear and the accessible pieces include Velcro or magnets instead of buttons. 'If I'm going out and I want to stand out and I want to be just my own self and my own body, I need clothing that fits me,' said Parmanand. 'Clothes are meant to fit you, not the other way around. So that's what kind of carried me into the fashion industry.' Parmanand learned to sew on her own at a young age and says creating the custom clothes is a way she is able to give back to the community and also her family. She designs the clothes and takes custom measurements and then sends them back to India where her aunts have a facility set up to sew the pieces. 'Creating meaningful employment for them and their daughters who are going to school. Because the area that I come from, it's still very backward, and there's a lot of focus on boys and girls and differentiation,' she explained. 'So, they create the clothing and I'm very happy to support their employment through this venture.' Parmanand is working to create a system that allows her customers to take their own measurements in the comfort of their homes. 'I'm also working on a third-party, 3D body measurement tool to be integrated into our website, and I recently got a funding for that,' she said. Celebrate Your Curves Celebrate Your Curves is an inclusive clothing line created by Navdeep Parmanand. (CTV Atlantic / Brianne Foley) She is also joining forces with the Dartmouth Adult Services Centre (DASC) to create clothes and inspire a love of fashion. 'The mission and the purpose is to amplify those voices and then work with people with disabilities,' she explained. Parmanand is organizing a fashion show event called 'Beyond the Runway- A Business and fashion Affair.' 'It's not a normal fashion show or average fashion show. You're going to see people of all shapes, sizes, ages and abilities. In partnership with DASC, clients will be our models, wheelchair users as well, and they're going to rock the runway,' she said. She will be shining the spotlight on other women in business as well. 'We're going to have about 20 to 25 women entrepreneurs at the booths to create an opportunity for people to come together and support those local women entrepreneurs and innovators that are right in the heart of Halifax,' said Parmanand. Even with all these things on the go, Parmanand said she's just beginning. 'I want to open a school someday,' she said. 'Vikas Rehabilitation School or Vikas Memorial School, to support children with special needs.' For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
