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| Model Danielle Sheypuk: 'People with disabilities are consumers of fashion' | Model Danielle Sheypuk: 'People with disabilities are consumers of fashion' |
| (1 day later) | |
| When Danielle Sheypuk rolled down the runway at designer Carrie Hammer’s debut this week, she became the first-ever model in a wheelchair to be featured at New York Fashion Week. Hammer’s show, which featured role models instead of runway models, has since received global attention, putting Sheypuk and Hammer at the center of a debate about the fashion industry’s unrealistic beauty standards. | When Danielle Sheypuk rolled down the runway at designer Carrie Hammer’s debut this week, she became the first-ever model in a wheelchair to be featured at New York Fashion Week. Hammer’s show, which featured role models instead of runway models, has since received global attention, putting Sheypuk and Hammer at the center of a debate about the fashion industry’s unrealistic beauty standards. |
| And that’s exactly where they want to be. | And that’s exactly where they want to be. |
| We spoke with Sheypuk (DS) and Hammer (CH), who met at a cerebral palsy luncheon and became fast friends, about the show and their shared goal to change the fashion industry. | We spoke with Sheypuk (DS) and Hammer (CH), who met at a cerebral palsy luncheon and became fast friends, about the show and their shared goal to change the fashion industry. |
| So Danielle, tell us: what was it like being on the runway? | So Danielle, tell us: what was it like being on the runway? |
| DS: It was a surreal experience that continues to bring me goosebumps every time I think of it. I remember most turning the corner from backstage and facing the audience and the catwalk. I felt sexy and glamorous. Most importantly, I felt like all of the other models there. We were all women who have achieved significantly and made outstanding contributions to our community. I just happened to use a wheelchair. | DS: It was a surreal experience that continues to bring me goosebumps every time I think of it. I remember most turning the corner from backstage and facing the audience and the catwalk. I felt sexy and glamorous. Most importantly, I felt like all of the other models there. We were all women who have achieved significantly and made outstanding contributions to our community. I just happened to use a wheelchair. |
| How did people respond to you being among the madness of NYFW? In terms of logistics, was NYFW equipped to accommodate your wheelchair? Was it easy to navigate and get around? | How did people respond to you being among the madness of NYFW? In terms of logistics, was NYFW equipped to accommodate your wheelchair? Was it easy to navigate and get around? |
| DS: People were excited and enthusiastic. Many said such phrases as “Thank God” and “It’s about time!” I feel like people welcomed me with open arms and I hope that the fashion industry does the same. Carrie Hammer’s show was completely wheelchair accessible. Before we knew that though, Carrie and I were joking that we would build a ramp ourselves if we had to! I did attend the closing show in the Mercedes-Benz tents at Lincoln Center. I have to say that I was disappointed to see only steps at the entrance. I had to find the ramp myself which was located down an alleyway in the rear of the tents – not a glamorous entrance at all and again feeding into the negative image that people with disabilities do not belong at Fashion Week. I hope to see that this will be improved for Fashion Week spring 2014. | DS: People were excited and enthusiastic. Many said such phrases as “Thank God” and “It’s about time!” I feel like people welcomed me with open arms and I hope that the fashion industry does the same. Carrie Hammer’s show was completely wheelchair accessible. Before we knew that though, Carrie and I were joking that we would build a ramp ourselves if we had to! I did attend the closing show in the Mercedes-Benz tents at Lincoln Center. I have to say that I was disappointed to see only steps at the entrance. I had to find the ramp myself which was located down an alleyway in the rear of the tents – not a glamorous entrance at all and again feeding into the negative image that people with disabilities do not belong at Fashion Week. I hope to see that this will be improved for Fashion Week spring 2014. |
| Who are some of your favorite designers to wear? Are there some designers that do a better job of reaching out to people with disabilities than others? | |
| DS: I’m a successful psychologist who works hard for her money and I like to spend it! A few of my favorite designers are Christian Louboutin, Gucci, Dolce and Gabbana, Chanel, Diane Von Furstenberg, Jimmy Choo, Derek Lam, and Alice and Olivia. I think it’s very important for the spectrum of fashion designers (low- to high-end designers) to recognize their consumers with disabilities, and I don’t think that any designer really does a good job at that. We are essentially never pitched to, and virtually ignored when it comes to fashion. | DS: I’m a successful psychologist who works hard for her money and I like to spend it! A few of my favorite designers are Christian Louboutin, Gucci, Dolce and Gabbana, Chanel, Diane Von Furstenberg, Jimmy Choo, Derek Lam, and Alice and Olivia. I think it’s very important for the spectrum of fashion designers (low- to high-end designers) to recognize their consumers with disabilities, and I don’t think that any designer really does a good job at that. We are essentially never pitched to, and virtually ignored when it comes to fashion. |
| Why do you think more designers don’t feature disabled models, or models of other shapes and sizes, in their runway shows? | Why do you think more designers don’t feature disabled models, or models of other shapes and sizes, in their runway shows? |
| DS: There are still many negative stereotypes regarding people with disabilities that, unfortunately, continue to be very prevalent. In general, people with disabilities are considered to be not sexy, asexual, pitiful, helpless, and frumpy just to name a few. This terrible image is the complete opposite of what fashion is trying to represent. These stereotypes simply are not true and people with disabilities are consumers of fashion – which is exactly why more designers should have the foresight that Carrie had and incorporate models with disabilities. | DS: There are still many negative stereotypes regarding people with disabilities that, unfortunately, continue to be very prevalent. In general, people with disabilities are considered to be not sexy, asexual, pitiful, helpless, and frumpy just to name a few. This terrible image is the complete opposite of what fashion is trying to represent. These stereotypes simply are not true and people with disabilities are consumers of fashion – which is exactly why more designers should have the foresight that Carrie had and incorporate models with disabilities. |
| CH: I don’t think emerging designers are featuring “real women” because as a new designer you want to do everything you can to look like the big guys. For there to be big change it has to start from the top and trickle down to the emerging brands. My overall goal is for fashion to empower women and not demoralize them through negative and sometimes false imagery. It’s so important to me that young women are looking up to role models not runway models. For this to be widespread, we need industry adoption at the highest level. The show was a step in reversing the trend, so hopefully we’ll start to see models that better represent a cross-section of all women. | CH: I don’t think emerging designers are featuring “real women” because as a new designer you want to do everything you can to look like the big guys. For there to be big change it has to start from the top and trickle down to the emerging brands. My overall goal is for fashion to empower women and not demoralize them through negative and sometimes false imagery. It’s so important to me that young women are looking up to role models not runway models. For this to be widespread, we need industry adoption at the highest level. The show was a step in reversing the trend, so hopefully we’ll start to see models that better represent a cross-section of all women. |
| As a relatively new designer, were you at all concerned that featuring role models (and not typical fashion models) in your show would have negative consequences in terms of how your brand was perceived by critics? | As a relatively new designer, were you at all concerned that featuring role models (and not typical fashion models) in your show would have negative consequences in terms of how your brand was perceived by critics? |
| CH: I really didn’t care. It didn’t even factor into my thought process. I was just so excited about the idea and the role models really rallied around the show. Having the role models did distract from the clothes because the women shone so brightly while wearing them – but the distraction was part of the point. The show’s goals were two fold: change the world and show off my collection . | CH: I really didn’t care. It didn’t even factor into my thought process. I was just so excited about the idea and the role models really rallied around the show. Having the role models did distract from the clothes because the women shone so brightly while wearing them – but the distraction was part of the point. The show’s goals were two fold: change the world and show off my collection . |
| You guys have gotten a ton of press in response to the show. Have you been surprised by the reaction? | You guys have gotten a ton of press in response to the show. Have you been surprised by the reaction? |
| DS: No, I’m not surprised. Carrie and I knew that we’d done something significant that could possibly change the way the fashion industry views people with disabilities. However, we also knew that the industry is a tough nut to crack, so to speak, so we worked our butts off to promote to the press and social media what we were doing. | DS: No, I’m not surprised. Carrie and I knew that we’d done something significant that could possibly change the way the fashion industry views people with disabilities. However, we also knew that the industry is a tough nut to crack, so to speak, so we worked our butts off to promote to the press and social media what we were doing. |
| CH: I was expecting some press after the show for the innovative idea, but I didn’t expect this much! I couldn’t be more excited about the coverage. My goal has always been to improve body image among women and girls. The attention is helping me achieve it. | CH: I was expecting some press after the show for the innovative idea, but I didn’t expect this much! I couldn’t be more excited about the coverage. My goal has always been to improve body image among women and girls. The attention is helping me achieve it. |
| You’ve said about your designs: “My line makes dresses to fit women. We don’t make dresses that women need to fit into.” What do you think the fashion industry needs to do to better serve the needs and purposes of real women? | You’ve said about your designs: “My line makes dresses to fit women. We don’t make dresses that women need to fit into.” What do you think the fashion industry needs to do to better serve the needs and purposes of real women? |
| CW: Ready-to-wear and standard sizing were a good idea initially, but I think it’s screwing with a woman’s body image. Women go to personal trainers and say: “I want to be a size four.” But this is a ridiculous statement because that number doesn’t mean anything. Women are calculating their perceived worth and beauty based upon completely made-up numbers. | CW: Ready-to-wear and standard sizing were a good idea initially, but I think it’s screwing with a woman’s body image. Women go to personal trainers and say: “I want to be a size four.” But this is a ridiculous statement because that number doesn’t mean anything. Women are calculating their perceived worth and beauty based upon completely made-up numbers. |
| Every clothing company decides the measurements of their sizes. Once they decide what type of measurement best fits their customer (straight bodied, curvy, etc) they hire a fit model, who is usually a size four or six to fit the sample on. To get smaller or larger sizes fashion brands mathematically “grade” the size up or down based upon the dimensions of the original fit model. But that just doesn’t work. There are too many body types to ever be able to do this effectively. | Every clothing company decides the measurements of their sizes. Once they decide what type of measurement best fits their customer (straight bodied, curvy, etc) they hire a fit model, who is usually a size four or six to fit the sample on. To get smaller or larger sizes fashion brands mathematically “grade” the size up or down based upon the dimensions of the original fit model. But that just doesn’t work. There are too many body types to ever be able to do this effectively. |
| Women beat themselves up over not being able to fit in a certain brand, but there is a very simple answer – you have different dimensions than the arbitrary fit model. Even the fit models don’t have perfect dimensions (which is their job). I went to a fit model casting once to see what it was like, and almost all the fit models either wore padded bras or butt pads to make them perfectly dimensional by industry standards. If the fit model doesn’t even have the body of a fit model, the rest of us are toast! | Women beat themselves up over not being able to fit in a certain brand, but there is a very simple answer – you have different dimensions than the arbitrary fit model. Even the fit models don’t have perfect dimensions (which is their job). I went to a fit model casting once to see what it was like, and almost all the fit models either wore padded bras or butt pads to make them perfectly dimensional by industry standards. If the fit model doesn’t even have the body of a fit model, the rest of us are toast! |
| What do you think it means to be a role model? | What do you think it means to be a role model? |
| DS: It’s a position I take very seriously. It’s someone that the entire community will feel proud to emulate and will feel comfortable seeking advice from. I’ve lived my entire life with a disability and I constantly apply what I’ve learned, my own personal experience, as well as my professional expertise as a psychologist to understand what others with disabilities are going through and to try to make positive changes. As a role model, I have taken it on as my job to change the negative way that society views people with disabilities both in the areas of dating and fashion. | DS: It’s a position I take very seriously. It’s someone that the entire community will feel proud to emulate and will feel comfortable seeking advice from. I’ve lived my entire life with a disability and I constantly apply what I’ve learned, my own personal experience, as well as my professional expertise as a psychologist to understand what others with disabilities are going through and to try to make positive changes. As a role model, I have taken it on as my job to change the negative way that society views people with disabilities both in the areas of dating and fashion. |