Stephanie Thomas Explained

Stephanie Thomas (born in Chicago, Illinois) is an American disability fashion stylist, public speaker, voice actor, and professor.[1]

According to People magazine, while she was working at a radio station, WVKL-FM (95.7), in Norfolk, Virginia, Thomas wore pajamas for a year as part of the "PJ Deejay" campaign and discussed the limited clothing options for people with physical disabilities on-air every day.[2] Thomas noted that she felt isolated by the stress of going out in public dressed in pajamas.[3]

Thomas has worked in disability fashion styling for 30 years,[4] developing and trademarking the Disability Fashion Styling System, which has been featured by Vogue,[5] The Guardian,[6] Refinery29,[7] Highsnobiety,[8] Paper[9] and The New Yorker.[10]

Early life and education

Thomas is a congenital amputee who has no right thumb and is missing three toes. In a TEDx talk, she said she was not expected to be able to walk.[11] Thomas graduated from high school in 1987 and studied for a Master of Arts in fashion journalism at Academy of Art University.[12]

Career

In an interview with The Guardian, Thomas said she noticed in 2006 that "we have more clothing in stores for dogs than we do for people with disabilities".[13] Between 1992 and 2003, Thomas researched disability fashion and trademarked her Disability Fashion Styling System, which she established in 2004.[14] [15]

Thomas has worked as a voice actor and jingle singer since 1997.[16] She has recorded voiceovers for Disney, Hilton, Macy's, Toyota, Martini and Rossi, McDonald's, and Netflix.[17]

Thomas is also an adjunct professor at Woodbury University in Burbank, California, where she teaches fashion marketing.[18]

In 2010, Thomas launched a blog about disability fashion that has become a business.[19] [20] Thomas also hosts a podcast on disability issues.[21]

To mark the 75th anniversary of Disability Employment Awareness Month and Dwarfism Awareness Month in October 2020, Thomas produced and hosted a two-day online event called "The Power of Personal Style". Speakers included Jameela Jamil.[22] [23]

Notable work

Thomas regularly works with 2019 Independent Spirit Awards–nominated[24] actor and disability influencer[25] Lauren "Lolo" Spencer, who has ALS.[26] Spencer has modeled for Tommy Hilfiger adaptive,[27] and was styled by Thomas for the Give Me Liberty film premiere at the Sundance and the film's screening at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019.

Honors

In 2016, Thomas spoke on "Dressing with Disabilities" at Canada's third-largest TEDx event.[28] In 2018, Thomas was recognized as a Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient by Academy of Art University. In 2019, the Business of Fashion website included Thomas on its "BoF 500" list of "People Shaping the Global Fashion Industry".[29]

In 2020, Thomas received an Ed Roberts Award for her work as a disability fashion styling expert, and as founder and CEO of Cur8able, a business dedicated to fashion for people with disabilities.[30]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Why are there more clothing lines for dogs than disabled people? . The Guardian . 18 June 2018 . en.
  2. News: Cur8able: Stephanie Thomas Curates Clothing for People with Disabilities . People (magazine) . EN.
  3. News: Vowell . Roberta . Ready to lose the jammies . pilotonline.com.
  4. Web site: Disability Visibility Podcast .
  5. News: The $400 billion adaptive clothing opportunity . Vogue Business.
  6. News: Why 2019 was a landmark year for disabled fashion . The Guardian . 30 December 2019 . en.
  7. News: Huber . Eliza . People With Disabilities Deserve Great Style – & I've Made It My Life's Work . www.refinery29.com . en.
  8. Web site: Bradley Carbone & More Speak on Disability and Fashion . Highsnobiety . en . 28 August 2019.
  9. News: Stephanie Thomas Puts in the Work to End Ableism . Paper (magazine) . 15 June 2020 . en.
  10. Crane . Brent . Adaptive Fashion on the Red Carpet . The New Yorker . en-us.
  11. Web site: Inclusive Design: Redefining the User Experience . Academy of Art University.
  12. Web site: Stephanie Thomas Helps People AcademyUFashion Blog . Fashion School Daily . 8 November 2016.
  13. Web site: Disability fashion: Stephanie Thomas shakes up fashion . Uncomfortable Revolution . 20 June 2019.
  14. News: Dawson . Kelly . Traditional clothes don't work for some people with disabilities – and that's a major problem . Vox . 16 October 2018 . en.
  15. News: Jackson . Lottie . Why 2019 was a landmark year for disabled fashion . The Guardian . 30 December 2019 .
  16. Disability advocates push for more accessible clothing - June 4, 2015 . www.cbc.ca.
  17. Web site: Gaskins . Rudy . Baker . Joan . Stephanie Thomas . Sovas. 20 October 2018 .
  18. News: Adaptive Fashion is Always in Style . Woodbury University . 29 October 2019.
  19. Web site: Stephanie Thomas Puts in the Work to End Ableism . PAPER . en . 15 June 2020.
  20. News: Why Disability Is The Latest Fashion Industry Frontier . Bustle . Almeida, Angela . January 23, 2017.
  21. Web site: Cur8able sur Apple Podcasts . Apple Podcasts . 5 March 2020 . fr-fr.
  22. Web site: National Disability Employment Awareness Month 2020: Increasing Access and Opportunity U.S. Department of Labor . https://web.archive.org/web/20201129171447/http://dol.gov/agencies/odep/initiatives/ndeam/2020 . November 29, 2020 . www.dol.gov . dead.
  23. Web site: Dwarfism Awareness Month . www.lpaonline.org.
  24. News: Spirit Award Nominations Spotlight Indie Films in Need of a Boost Hollywood Reporter . www.hollywoodreporter.com.
  25. News: Disability Influencer Lauren "Lolo" Spencer on 'Give Me Liberty' and Authentic Representation Hollywood Reporter . www.hollywoodreporter.com.
  26. News: Bergeron . Ryan . Diagnosed with ALS at 14, she's now a disability lifestyle influencer . CNN.
  27. Web site: 'Give Me Liberty's Lolo Spencer Would Not Have Gone to Fyre Festival . Interview Magazine . 3 September 2019.
  28. Web site: Fashion Styling for People with Disabilities . TEDx Talks.
  29. Web site: Stephanie Thomas is part of the BoF 500 . The Business of Fashion.
  30. Web site: 4th Annual Ed Roberts Awards . Ed Roberts Awards . en.

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