FASHION MARKET TAYLOR-MADE FOR PIONEER

“I MIGHT be on wheels, but fashion moves me forward. That moment I started to wear colour and find, create and make clothing to feel like the person I was pre-injury, it was cathartic. It changed me – and put me on the road to good mental health.”

The speaker is Carol Taylor, award-winning lawyer, artist and disability advocate, who is pa r tne r - ing with Jessie Sad l e r , founder of Brisbane label Christina Stephens, to create change in ma in - stream fashion.

Carol, the world’s first quadriplegic designer after an accident in 2001, first showcased her designs at Mercedes Benz Fashion Festival in Brisbane in 2019.

Choosing collaboration over competition, Carol joined Christina Stephens as partner, lead designer and production manager to produce quality, on-trend adaptive clothing for women and men living with mobility issues.

“The retail revenue for Christina Stephens has quadrupled and is now being stocked by major retailers so the move has paid dividends already,” said Carol.

“Jessie and I made the decision to team up with a collective mission to change what’s considered ‘mainstream fashion’. We have co-designed a new collection for the runway at the Afterpay Australian Fashion Week in Sydney next month. The new collection is a blend of our unique styles bringing an elevated, colourful and glamorous punch to the brand.

“More than 20 per cent of Australians live with some form of disability so we are really going to shake up the market.”

Rolling on in every sense.