Accessible fashion and my runway bride

Yes, I am married to a model.

All of the planning, discussing and fittings are completed, and Jennifer will make her mark on the runway at the 25th Annual Threads Fashion Show this Saturday on the Central Michigan University campus.

Jennifer navigates the path of the Threads runway in the models’ first fashion show practice.

Threads is the student-produced fashion show that features the work of aspiring student fashion designers as modeled by CMU students and local community members. This includes Jennifer and several others who will model custom-designed accessible fashion created for the show.

I could not be more excited for and proud of Jennifer as she helps to bring awareness to accessible fashion!

After all, talking about a person in a wheelchair likely isn’t the first thing people think of when discussing fashion shows and models on the runway. Jennifer will help to change all of this. 

I encourage you to learn more about her experiences and Threads by checking out the current episode of our A Couple Takes on MS Podcast (on our website or wherever you get your podcasts) where we have an engaging conversation with Ian Mull, the Threads advisor and CMU Fashion Merchandising and Design faculty member. 

Hear what he says is central to the longevity of Threads, the importance of inclusion in fashion, why accessible fashion deserves a spot on the runway, and what trends are influencing fashion in 2023. 

And if you’re interested in watching Jennifer strut her stuff on the runway, visit the Threads website to learn the how to purchase tickets to see it in-person and how you can watch it online.

Here are some photos to give you a glimpse behind the scenes in Jennifer’s Threads Fashion Show journey.

There was a lot for Jennifer (and more than 100 other aspiring models) to soak in during the initial Threads modeling workshop.

Meeting her design team of Grace Motzny, right, and Savannah Hackney helped Jennifer to feel more comfortable about what it was going to look like to be a model. “I want to see people like me on the runway. I want to know that my disability doesn’t make me out of fashion,” Jennifer says.
Savannah and Grace stop over to our house to take more measurements and make some adjustments to the preliminary pattern for her dress.

Everything got more real for Jennifer when she was on the Central Michigan University campus and saw a promotional flyer for the Threads Fashion Show pinned on an academic building bulletin board. “Oh my goodness! This is really happening!” she shouted.
In a second fitting for her runway outfit, Jennifer sits patiently while CMU Fashion Merchandising and Design faculty member Su Kyoung An pins her top and gives Grace some helpful tips.

To learn more about the fashion show, remember to listen to Episode 50 of our A Couple Takes on MS Podcast – Taking on Threads and accessible fashion with Ian Mull – and check back here next week for photos and reactions from Jennifer’s experience on the runway.

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