Australian adaptive label Christina Stephens is celebrating its first anniversary, after Jessie Sadler founded the business during the pandemic.
Since opening its online doors in March 2020, Christina Stephens has featured on runways at Brisbane Fashion Month and London Fashion Week, co-chaired panels on diversity and inclusion, and has been showcased on 7News, Studio 10 and a number of disability-focused podcasts.
Sadler said that despite being only one year old, the brand has already improved its offering.
"Our mission from the start was to design and create beautiful adaptive clothing that gives women living with disabilities a choice to feel confident and empowered in clothing that looks as good as it feels.
"In our first year of operation, we’ve managed to do all of this, plus take on board customer feedback and launch new sizing.
"We’re just ready to release an extended size range for the classic collection, now catering for sizes 8-22," she said.
And it's not only its size range that the business has grown, it has also expanded its retail partnerships, Sadler added.
"Gone are the days where adaptive clothing is almost exclusively catering for the elderly.
"We’re seeing a lot more modern, edgier retailers and brands entering the space, which is great to see.
"We’ve been approached to partner and stock our clothes with some great Australian and USA retailers - now we just need to get The Iconic, Myer and David Jones on board," she said.
With almost 20% of the population living with a disability, making adaptive fashion more accessible is something that’s not just idealistic for Sadler, but crucial for the survival of the fashion industry, she added.
"Being able to accurately represent and provide more fashion options for a fifth of the population is something that’s close to my heart, but also something that needs to be better reflected across all industries, from employment, to media coverage, to supermarket chains - every brand needs to reflect one fifth of the population.
"Inclusion isn’t just a buzzword, it’s something that as a society, we need to take action on.
"We know we’re on the brink of something big here - inclusive fashion is where plus sized clothing was 15 years ago - the demand just keeps growing!
"I’m proud of the team, and so grateful to our customers who’ve been on the journey with us," she said.