The Runway of Dreams Foundation to revolutionize fashion with accessible design at NYFW

This story is brought to you by our partners at Easterseals.

Photo Courtesy of Runway of Dreams

The category is: fashion! Not just any fashion, though — The Runway of Dreams Foundation is also serving Adaptive and accessible.

Next Monday during New York Fashion Week (NYFW), more than 60 models with a diverse range of disabilities will model the runway at the foundation’s 10th anniversary event, FASHION REVOLUTION, at Powerhouse Arts in Brooklyn, NY. Accessible and Adaptive fashion — clothing and footwear specifically designed for people with varying degrees of disability and accessibility needs — will take center stage at the fashion show.

“Being a queer disabled individual with a facial difference, I have never seen anyone like me represented in the media,” Austin Halls, American songwriter and vocalist born with Moebius Syndrome, tells Pride.com. “To be showcased in FASHION REVOLUTION, I'm showing the world that the future of disabilities is having a seat at, or owning, the table.”

Photo Courtesy of Runway of Dreams

Madison Tevlin, Canadian actor, model and advocate, will host the fashion show and model the runway. In 2024, Tevlin led the viral campaign “Assume That I Can” for World Down Syndrome Day, garnering more than 150 million views in under a week. Prior to the success of the campaign, Tevlin also starred in the 2023 groundbreaking American drama-comedy “Champions” that tells the story of a team of basketball players with different learning disabilities.

“Runway of Dreams and NYFW are everything that I love,” says Tevlin. “New York, fashion, advocacy, and a big party! Walking the runway and hosting FASHION REVOLUTION are what dreams are made of.”

Photo Courtesy of Runway of Dreams

The annual NYFW fashion event will unite more than 500 influential diversity, equity and inclusion advocates and exhibit the pioneering efforts of leading companies in Adaptive and Universal design, including Victoria's Secret & PINK, Kohl's, Target, JCPenney, Tommy Hilfiger, with footwear provided by Zappos.

“The show celebrates people with disabilities at many cross sections and will continue to be a premier platform advocating for self expression through fashion in the disability space,” says Mindy Scheier, Founder of the Runway of Dreams Foundation. “This is an exciting next chapter for Adaptive and Universal Design, and we cannot wait for more brands to join the FASHION REVOLUTION.”

Photo Courtesy of Runway of Dreams

Scheier’s son, Oliver, has a rare form of muscular dystrophy — a degenerative disease that impacts his ability to do various daily tasks on his own. In helping her son figure out how to modify a pair of jeans to fit over his leg braces, Scheier was inspired to start Runway of Dreams. The foundation aims to create modifications to help people with disabilities get dressed independently, and wear clothes that reflect their personality and style. Scheier is eager to empower people with disabilities to have confidence and self-expression through inclusion in fashion and beauty.

“I am energized about the future of fashion as it pertains to the intersection between disability and queerness,” says Oliver, who was recently a guest on Easterseals’ podcast “Everything You Know About Disability is Wrong.” “In many ways, I see them as very similar. To see the fashion industry and culture as a whole celebrate the two, empowers me and brings me hope for the future.”

In addition to the Adaptive runway show, the Runway of Dreams Foundation has also partnered with the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in a collaborative project called “Next Gen.” The collaboration will pair six student designers from FIT with models who have varying disabilities. The project tasks the participants to create runway-ready looks that address the models’ specific dressing challenges in three categories: intimates, athleisure and pajamas. The final pieces from this partnership will close the runway show as the grand finale. Scheier and executives from VS&Co. have worked closely with students to ensure the design is both functional and stylish while prioritizing the models’ comfort and mobility.

Join FASHION REVOLUTION and learn more about Adaptive fashion at Powerhouse Arts in Brooklyn, NY, or tune in HERE next Monday, September 9th at 8:30 p.m.!