‘Nothing can hold me back!’
After a car accident left Carol paralysed, she moved mountains to overcome the odds for herself and others
When Carol Taylor was invited to design a fashion range for people with disabilities she worried she’d taken on too much. Along with juggling life as a doting mum and running her own law firm Taylor & Law Conveyancing, it made her a very busy bee!
Yet the glamorous 52-year-old from the Gold Coast knows more than most the desperate need for a stylish clothing line for people with disabilities – and she’s no stranger to a challenge, after enduring years of agonising rehabilitation following a horrific car accident 18 years ago. “Some would argue people with a disability have more important things to worry about than fashion,” says Carol, who is now a quadriplegic and could never accept what she considered “regulation disability attire” of tracksuits and sneakers and longed to wear stilettos again.
“I think fashion affects our core sense of identity, our confidence, and it impacts the way the outside world perceives and treats us,” she says, insightfully.
So Carol embarked on a mission to devise a world-first range of adaptive ball gowns
and kaftans, and included design techniques such as well-placed seams and zips to help those wearing her garments avoid dangerous pressure sores, and a kaftan with drop-down sleeves to help regulate temperature and blood pressure.
CATWALK QUEEN
With minimal movement in her arms and no movement in her fingers or hands, Carol used specially adapted brushes to hand-paint and digitally print her fabrics and, in just 12 weeks, debuted her MEQ Designs range at none other than this year’s prestigious Mercedes-benz Fashion Festival in Brisbane!
Taking to the stage, the proud mother wheeled down the catwalk to rapturous applause after opening the Fantauzzo Next Gen Group Show, which showcased her opulent gowns that wowed the fashionistas. “I’m the world’s first quadriplegic designer, designing for people with disability and I’m extremely proud of that achievement,” says Carol, whose models are also all people with a disability.
It’s an accomplishment the humble corporate-turnedcatwalk designer admits she couldn’t have achieved without the unwavering support of her husband Robert, 50, who she credits for prompting her to paint as therapy for PTSD and depression after the accident.
“I’m in awe of her ability to overcome,” says Rob, a legal practice manager. “There have been many times I thought this is too hard, this will be too much for her and yet she continues to surprise me.”
The accident occurred in 2001, when the couple’s car flipped on some black ice and “in a split second” changed their lives forever. The young lawyer severed her spinal cord and would never walk again. Carol selflessly offered Rob an “out” of their relationship – a divorce to allow him to move on – but it was an option that never entered her husband’s mind. Instead, he organised a surprise renewal of their vows in the Prince of Wales Hospital courtyard.
The couple were told their dream of parenthood was impossible as Carol’s heart wouldn’t handle the stress, but they refused to give up hope and endured 15 embryo transfers and several miscarriages. Then another miracle came her way.
“We moved to the Gold Coast and, in a last-ditch attempt at parenthood, we consulted a naturopath,” says Carol. “Within a month we were pregnant the old-fashioned way!”
Carol spent five months on bed rest before her “miracle baby” D’arcy, now 13, was delivered.
“Parenting with quadriplegia presents very considerable challenges,” says Carol, adding that she developed a life-threatening post-birth infection from an epidural abscess. “Being a mum is the best job I’ve ever had.”
SMART BUSINESS
In 2015, with D’arcy at school, Carol reignited her passion for the law, setting up her own “wheelchair-friendly” practice. And she continues to paint to acclaim, last year winning the $10,000 Access Arts Achievements award.
“I decided to use the money to put my artwork on fabric and try to create an accessible clothing line,” says Carol.
“Inclusive fashion isn’t just a nice, charitable thing to do, it’s also really smart business. In Australia, 20 per cent of the population has a disability – brands ignoring the $300 billion global disability dollar do so at their own risk.”
Carol says MEQ Designs speaks for her and others with a disability who want to be part of the fashion conversation, too. She adds, “I might be on wheels but my fashion moves me forward.”
‘I might be on wheels, but my fashion moves me forward’