Photo: Runway of Dreams
FASHION
Runway of Dreams Foundation to Host Virtual Adaptive Fashion Show During NYFW
Promoting more inclusivity within fashion, The Runway of Dreams Foundation will produce an adaptive fashion show on Sept. 14 during New York Fashion Week to celebrate the lives of differently abled people and showcase fresh looks in adaptive-clothing trends. Partners for the event include Tommy Hilfiger Adaptive, Zappos Adaptive, Kohl’s, Target’s adaptive-clothing category and Stride Rite’s adaptable sneaker line named Journey.
The show will begin at 8 p.m. EST through on24, with designer Tommy Hilfiger opening the event with fashion designer Mindy Scheier, founder and chief executive officer of Runway of Dreams. By incorporating the machine learning–powered application Runway by SAP, Runway of Dreams will allow viewers who have downloaded the program to use the technology to identify clothing, love the item, add it to their wish lists and purchase the piece.
“Fashion week has been greatly impacted by the current pandemic,” Scheier said in a statement. “However, we believe the show must go on and are so excited to present our annual NYFW show virtually, reaching a global audience! In fact, for the first time ever, Runway of Dreams has five leading brands participating together in support of the inclusion and acceptance in the fashion industry of people with disabilities!”
During the show, 25 models of all abilities—including gold medal–winning snowboarder Brenna Huckaby, activist Grace Strobel, speaker Brandon Farbstein and author Keah Brown—will walk the runway. Emcees for the show include Shane Burcaw and Hannah Alyward, of YouTube fame. Actor Steve Remy will present a comedy set. Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen and musician Lauren Monroe, who is also Allen’s wife, will perform a new song titled “Big Love,” whose proceeds will fund Project Resiliency, an organization that helps heal individuals and families that are experiencing hardship.
