Stephanie Thomas

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

For the Connecticut politician, see Stephanie Thomas (politician).

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

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 or toes on either foot.[7] In a TEDx talk, she said she was not supposed 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, Stephanie Thomas said in 2006 she noticed "we have more clothing in stores for dogs than we do for people with disabilities".[1][13] Between 1992 and 2003, Thomas conducted researched disability fashion and trademarked her Disability Fashion Styling System, which she established in 2004.[14][15]

Stephanie 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]

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.[21][22]

Thomas also hosts a podcast on disability issues.[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 premieres at the Sundance and Cannes Film Festival in 2019.[10]

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 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 dressing with disabilities.[30]

See also

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