P.Prior to 2012, Alicia Searcy was what we now call “anti-fashion.” When she was a little girl, her mother, who was her model, criticized her body: “My legs were too fat. I couldn’t,” she recalls.

Cercy was born with cerebral palsy. She uses a wheelchair and has problems with her fine motor skills, which limited her options regarding clothing.

“So for a long time I was very anti-fashion. “People were treating me really bad because I looked so sloppy. They thought I couldn’t think for myself. They asked people around me, “What does she want? … What do we do with her?” I decided to do so.

Cerscy came to see fashion as a language, something that allows you to tell the world who you are. She started blogging about her own experiments. Back in 2012, few people were talking about including all bodies and abilities in fashion. Her interest led her to Nashville Fashion Week. “I was amazed at what they could do,” she says. “I was blown away by the talent in this town.” As she sat in the audience at her NFW event, she had a flash of an idea. In other words, why can’t fashion embrace all bodies while promoting body positivity and self-esteem?

She began talking to friend and collaborator Krystle Ramos about the possibility of a more inclusive fashion show. She continued her experiments and continued writing her blog. In 2016, David Bowie passed away. “It hit me on the head,” says Searcy. “And I went, ‘Oh no. David Bowie could die. If he can die, I can die.'”

Fueled by Searcy’s energy and vision, a small crew of volunteers put together the runway show she’s dreamed of for years. Sold out days ago. Local Fashion Her designers responded to her call to work with models to create clothes that fit her model’s needs. Her annual show takes place on Saturday, September 10th at her Studio615, featuring models wearing styles from local designers, her pop-up boutique, cocktails and light bites, and an afterparty.

“Adaptive clothing is clothing that has been modified so that it can be worn or used completely independently by people with certain disabilities,” Searcy explains. There are magnetic snaps that can be attached to the back of buttons without altering the appearance of clothing. , this change makes dressing much easier. There may be hidden loops that can be used to adjust the trousers when the wearer is seated. It may have a zipper in place.

Adaptive clothing is “like a good fashion show,” Searcy says. “No one knows what goes on behind the scenes, because everything that comes out is beautiful. …But what really matters is that it puts us all on equal footing and It is to give us the value we deserve as human beings.

Chelsie Nitschke volunteered behind the scenes at the first Fashion Is for Every Body show. Nitschke is a quadriplegic after her 2011 car accident, but Searcy didn’t stop persuading her to model for the following year’s show.

“I had never modeled before,” says Nitschke. scene“I didn’t know what to do, but I just went along with it.”The shoulder of her dress crept up against her neck when Nitschke walked down the runway for the first time. I improvised, I had no idea I had it in me!

Some of the models on the fashion is for every body runway have disabilities, others don’t. Cercy opens up to those who don’t see themselves reflected in mainstream fashion. Whether you wear oversized clothes, are on the autism spectrum, are queer, or have an anxiety disorder, this philosophy recognizes that our bodies are often sites and carriers of trauma. I’m here. We can be healed by using the word fashion.

Nitschke said her first walk on the runway was “so empowering. You just feel yourself… getting there was a push and I was very nervous at first. But then, with all the praise from everyone around me, I saw the pictures they took and I was like, ‘Oh my god! I looked good! Since then, she’s modeled for every show, and will hit the runway this weekend.

This year, five local designers and brands from Dahlia, featuring designs from Article X, A Lady of the Lake, Laura Citron, Andrew Clancey from Any Old Iron, and Searcy, are collaborating with clothing models. This year, her London-based Adaptive apparel brand, Unhidden, will also be at the show. Designers learn a lot about how their clothes can become more inclusive in the process.There are many practical reasons Fashion Is for Every Body has to exist, but it’s all It stems from the doubts that Cercy years ago had when she was ready to challenge her anti-fashion stance.

“As a disabled person, I [I’ve] I had to really fight to be seen, heard and appreciated,” says Searcy. “I want people to see me as a fun and worthy person in society. … And I think many people with disabilities want the same thing. We want things LGBTQ people…we want to be valued and we want to be valued in beautiful ways and that’s what we do .”