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FashionAbility Magazine

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A black and white magazine cover for "mélange FashionAbility" dated December 2025. The cover features model Cienna Ditri, a young woman with short, blonde, wavy hair, sitting in a wheelchair. She is wearing a high-fashion, all-black ensemble: a sheer top with puffed sleeves over a camisole, long leather-like opera gloves, and tight-fitting patent leather boots with high heels. She poses with one leg extended forward and a confident expression. The background is a neutral grey. The magazine title "FashionAbility" and various headlines are printed in a bold, vibrant lime green. Headlines include "CIENNA DITRI PROVES THAT DISABILITY AND FASHION CAN CO-EXIST" and "THE FUTURE OF FASHION IS INCLUSIVE."
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December 2025 issue

Samantha Jade Duran
Paula Sojo, Osto.me Fashion
Jacob Rosser
Laura Wagner-Mayer
Grace Strobel
Samantha Jade Duran
Paula Sojo, Osto.me Fashion
Jacob Rosser
Laura Wagner-Mayer
Grace Strobel
A close-up portrait of a young woman with short, curly blonde hair. She is wearing a light blue and cream crocheted cardigan with a deep V-neck and a diamond/flower pattern. She is leaning against a white wall and looking directly at the camera with a soft expression.

Guest Editor's Note

There’s a revolution happening in fashion: one that isn’t stitched in spectacle, but in sincerity. For too long, accessibility sat on the sidelines, treated as an afterthought rather than included in the art of design. The designs that promised practicality too often forgot beauty. We all can recall the medical grade “adaptive pieces” of the past, better representing a trash bag than anyone’s personal style. That era is dead. Adaptive fashion is no longer an exception — it’s becoming the new standard.

This issue of FashionAbility celebrates the change-makers leading that shift,  designers and creatives who refuse to wait for permission and who understand that fashion done right doesn’t exclude, it truly is for every body. They’re proving that function and glamour are not opposites, but two very needed parts of the same whole.

When I started @chronicallypersevering, I wasn’t thinking about starting movements, I was simply sharing my life as a disabled girl in the world. My truth has always been to that life with chronic illness and a love of fashion can coexist, beautifully and unapologetically. What I didn’t realize then was that from every outfit I styled to every photo I posted, it was all an act of self-advocacy. Style became the language through which I reclaimed my power and found myself. My clothes stopped hiding my reality and started sharing it boldly, elegantly, sometimes with stretch, and sometimes with the contrast of sass.

Fashion has always been about more than fabric and form. To me, it is a reflection of  who we are on the inside coming to the surface. When I dress, I’m not chasing trends; I’m claiming my body, my life, and my story in every sartorial choice. I believe, as do the voices in this issue, that the foundation of style is our daily lives and stories. True sophistication comes when design works for the body that wears it. Adaptive fashion doesn’t need to whisper or hide. It can make a statement.

In these pages, you’ll meet people who live that truth. Laura Wagner Mayer reminds us that empathy is couture, while designing garments that move with grace and with purpose. Balini Naidu-Engelbrecht allows us to feel fashion literally through her bold, tactile use of Braille, transforming touch into style. Haley Schwartz, founder of Vertige Adaptive, finds strength in designs that sway with the body, not against it. Paula Sojo’s Osto.me Fashion reimagines medical devices as loud luxury, pairing an ostome and sequin skirt perfectly.  

We aren’t just talking about a shift in the  fashion industry, but beauty as well. Grace Strobel radiates true grace from the inside out, redefining what beauty looks like with every step she takes down a runway. Ramy Gafni shows that beauty is about presence, not perfection and that the smallest ritual can be an act of perseverance.

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Cover Story

Black-and-white fashion portrait of a woman seated in a wheelchair, wearing a sheer black dress with puffed sleeves, long black gloves, and high platform boots. She poses confidently against a neutral studio background

Cienna Ditri proves that accessibility and luxury can coexist in fashion’s next evolution

Fashion’s most interesting disruptors aren’t waiting for permission — they’re building their own lane. Enter Cienna Ditri, the creative force behind @chronicallypersevering, whose feed feels like a manifesto in motion. Her looks are sharp, clever, and unafraid to provoke — equal parts runway intellect and lived reality.

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A young woman in a manual wheelchair posing outdoors in a plaza with modern architecture. She is dressed in stylish fall attire: a black crop top, light beige trousers, a dark brown tweed jacket, a chunky pearl necklace, a black headband, and black combat boots. In the background are the curved white structure of the Oculus and surrounding skyscrapers in New York City.

Five Style Truths I Live By

By Cienna Ditri (@chronicallypersevering)

Style is my form of self-advocacy.
I don’t “dress around” my chronic conditions or disability — I dress with them. My clothes share the story of my body: some days call for softness and stretch, others demand armor and touch of sass. Whether it’s an oversized trench or a corseted knit, every piece I wear is a reminder that my body and my life are chic.

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A group of people kneeling on a carpeted floor during a fitting. A blonde woman, likely Mindy Scheier, is wearing a dark shirt labeled 'SEWN ADAPTIVE' and is talking to a young girl with a high ponytail, who is standing in a maroon floral print dress. A tape measure is draped around the woman's shoulder, and another person is seated nearby.

Adaptive fashion takes centre stage with Sewn Adaptive by Lynn Brannelly

Adaptive fashion often struggles to find its place within mainstream design. For Lynn Brannelly, founder of Sewn Adaptive, that struggle reflects a failure of imagination rather than a lack of skill. “There isn’t a single design I’ve created in the last three years that couldn’t also be worn by someone who is not disabled,” she explains. “The adjustments are practical, but the result is still fashion.”

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A medium shot of a woman with long, highlighted brown hair smiling while leaning against a concrete wall outdoors. She is wearing a black sweatshirt and matching sweatpants, with a white graphic logo featuring the word "balina" and a series of dots beneath it printed on the left chest area. She also wears a simple silver necklace.

Balini Naidoo-Engelbrecht creates bold braille fashion that blends style and accessibility for blind and low-vision wearers

Innovative adaptive clothing with tactile Braille designs empowering blind and low-vision individuals through fashion

Some designers speak through colour. Others through silhouette. Balini Naidoo-Engelbrecht speaks in dots you can run your fingertips over. Her clothes don’t whisper or play coy. The braille that spills across her garments is unapologetically visible, printed boldly on the outside. Not hidden in a hem or tucked away on an inside label like a quiet accommodation. This wasn’t a marketing gimmick. It was born from the life she’s lived and the people she’s loved.

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A woman in a vibrant, pink minidress with vertical pearl-like beading, smiling and looking up against a bright pink background. She holds a small pink, bulbous-shaped adaptive grip attached to a lipstick tube. Next to her is an oversized novelty lipstick prop with a golden base and pink fringed top.

ByStorm is the next great Australian beauty story built on design and inclusion

It started with a broken hand. A quick fall, an awkward landing, nothing dramatic really, but suddenly everything small became impossible. Australian, Storm Menzies couldn’t twist open her mascara, couldn’t hold a pencil and couldn’t sign her name neatly. “It sounds trivial,” she says, “but losing the use of my hand felt like losing a part of myself.”

 

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A close-up shot against a pink background shows two hands holding makeup tools. The hand on the left holds a mascara wand with a purple, ribbed, bulb-shaped silicone handle. The hand on the right holds a foundation or powder brush with a wooden handle inserted into a red, smooth, bulb-shaped silicone grip.

Capella By Design

Makeup Grips:

Rediscover the joy and ease of your makeup routine with two grip options designed for comfort and control. Betty & Margie fit onto your favorite products, transforming them with a soft, ergonomic hold that rests in your palm. 

Betty rests comfortably in your palm for added control when using your makeup products.

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A large group of approximately 20 women of diverse ages are posing together for a group photo in a warmly lit, modern room. They are standing on a polished wooden floor in front of a neutral-colored curtain and a large screen. Many of the women are smiling and waving. One woman in the center is wearing a pink dress, and another nearby is wearing a grey dress with a floral pattern and has a cane and a service dog at her feet.

Dressability helps people with disabilities reclaim confidence through clothing that reflects them

On a warm Sydney afternoon, 72-year-old Linda — now living in a nursing home — slowly lowers her very swollen feet toward the gold sandals that once welcomed one foot and fought the other. This time, after a shoemaker added a discreet strip of elastic, both shoes finally slide on. She tears up. “Now you need painted toenails,” stylist Amanda tells her, laughing. “Or you won’t be the princess.”

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A studio portrait of a blonde woman in a white sleeveless dress, smiling directly at the camera. She is surrounded by multiple hands holding various high-heeled shoes around her head and body, creating a circular framing effect. The shoes include navy blue, nude, orange patent leather, black patent leather, black closed-toe pumps, gray suede pumps, and a distinctive white pump with an orange cap on the toe and heel.

For the Love of Shoes

If you want to know the fastest way to make a grown woman swoon, forget roses and candlelight. Bring me a pair of shoes so dazzling they really should be paying rent. I may be a wheelchair user, but my love of shoes is as boundless as a toddler in a ball pit. In fact, I’d argue I appreciate footwear even more. After all, I get the joy of wearing skyscraper heels without the corresponding danger of face-planting into a potted plant.

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A woman with long dark hair, wearing a white dress with black scalloped trim, is seated on a large brown leather armchair on a stage. She is holding her forearm crutches. A man is seated beside her on a blue velvet sofa. A screen in the background displays "Welcome."

Fun Favorites with Laura Wagner-Meyer

Laura Wagner-Meyer is a South African fashion designer, model, and advocate who champions inclusivity and representation in the fashion and beauty industries. Born with a congenital neural tube defect, she defied early medical expectations and now uses crutches to walk, transforming her lived experience into a platform for change and empowerment. In addition to her work in fashion, Laura is a public speaker who uses her voice and platforms to raise awareness around disability, confidence, and representation. She designs adaptive yet stylish clothing to help women with disabilities feel confident and elegant, and as a Miss South Africa entrant, she challenged traditional beauty standards and inspires others.

Read about her fun favourites . . .
A blonde woman with Down syndrome sitting on a woven chair with a white sheepskin throw, wearing a black ruffled top, jeans, and black combat boots, smiling at the camera with large cacti and modern art in the background.

Grace Strobel: Model, Speaker and Advocate Redefining Beauty and Fashion Inclusion

Grace Strobel doesn’t leap out of bed like those people in coffee adverts. She wakes slowly, then kicks the day into gear by greeting God and counting her blessings. It’s her first spark of the morning and it sets the rhythm for everything else.

Her wardrobe holds plenty of options, but there’s one combination that flips her confidence switch: Veronica Beard jeans, a black shirt and combat boots. The jeans were a gift, but the feeling they give her? That’s all her own. In them, she says, she feels awesome. And awesome looks good on her.

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A close-up portrait of a smiling blonde woman with Down syndrome, wearing a sheer floral pink and orange turtleneck top, standing in front of large white vases and pink flowering branches.

Grace Strobel – Fashion in Motion

How Grace describes herself (in three words): Joyful, hard worker and positive

Things that instantly make her smile no matter the kind of day she’s having: Hanging out with friends, listening to music especially classical music – Beethoven; Billy Joel, going to church and watching her modeling photos

Favorite looks that made her feel unstoppable: A sweater paired with lululemon jacket and jeans

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A woman with curly reddish-brown hair stands on a beach, looking toward the right. She is wearing a mauve pink adaptive romper with short sleeves, a front zipper, and a tied waist. She holds a white cane in her left hand and touches the back of her head with her right hand. The ocean and sky are visible in the background.

Haley Schwartz brings style and confidence to adaptive fashion through Vertige Adaptive

Haley Schwartz was four years old when a machine attached to her chest dictated how she dressed. Sweatpants, oversized shirts, anything to blur the outline of wires and monitors humming against her ribs. She was confident, loud, curious, all the things a child should be, but her clothes were camouflage. They protected her from the questions she didn’t want to answer.

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Portrait of a smiling woman wearing glasses and a formal black dress, seated in a wheelchair in a modern indoor space with a wooden staircase and a sculpture in the background. Her hands are clasped in her lap, and she is wearing light-colored, low-heeled shoes.

Tarryn Tomlinson: "Here are some of my essential fashion tips and favourite fashion pieces"

Be comfortable! Prioritize comfort when selecting your wardrobe. There is nothing worse than being stuck in tight and uncomfortable clothing. Opt for soft, breathable fabrics that allow for ease of movement. Consider adaptive clothing options with features like magnetic closures, elastic waistbands, and adjustable closures, ensuring comfort throughout your journey.

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A young man poses on a pier or seawall, looking directly at the camera. He is wearing a black suit jacket over a black shirt, with his left hand on his hip, and the jacket cuffs rolled up to expose white lining. The blue ocean and a partially cloudy sky are visible behind him.

Jacob’s Fashion Frenzy Begins

By Jacob Rosser

Hi. My name is Jacob and I am 22. I have never been much into fashion. The truth is, like many neurodivergent people, I hate the texture of many fabrics. I hate the feel of tight clothing, I hate the feel of jeans, I hate putting on cold clothing. I hate buttons, and no thanks to stiff clothing. These sensitivities make dressing a big challenge. 

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Two models walk the runway in a show for "LADY FINES ADAPTIVE FASHION," which is spelled out in large, bright pink neon lettering on the digital screen behind them. The model on the left, with dark hair and multiple tattoos, is walking and wearing a sleeveless, double-breasted black mini-dress, white lace-up boots, and a visible prosthetic leg below her left knee. The model on the right, with long dark hair, is sitting in a manual wheelchair and wearing a shimmering silver metallic halter-neck maxi dress. The background screen shows a collage of photos of diverse models with disabilities.

Lady Fines is elevating adaptive fashion for disabled girls and women

At 6:30 a.m., while most of Tampa still sleeps, Lady Fines is wide awake, hunched over a glowing screen, designing in an iPad fashion app as she studies adaptive-feature notes from models she’s worked with. She flips between mood boards and digital templates, refining skirts with discreet clasps and tracksuits with hidden zippers. Two hours later she logs into an interview, voice soft but charged. She hasn’t slept. She has been busy dressing a world that fashion forgot.

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A smiling woman with long dark hair stands indoors, supported by two forearm crutches. She is wearing a modern outfit: a white and black abstract print top, wide-leg off-white trousers, and a relaxed-fit beige blazer. The background is a pink and white archway with a red wall featuring the "Momentum" logo.

Laura Wagner Mayer on Adaptive Fashion, Inclusive Design and owning the runway

The first time Laura Wagner-Mayer felt like she owned the room, she was seventeen, standing in front of a mirror in a custom-made dress for her matric farewell dance. Not just any dress. This one was shaped around her. A high-low hem that skimmed at just the right angle, a bodice curved where her body curved, a length that moved with her gait instead of fighting it. “The second they zipped it up, I felt like Laura 2.0,” she says, laughing. “We even had a red carpet at the venue and I was strutting like I’d been doing it my whole life.”

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A group of five smiling individuals—three women and two men—stand and sit together in a bright, white studio. All are wearing white t-shirts or tank tops and denim jeans, with their waistbands partially pulled down to expose their lower abdomens, where ostomy pouch covers of various colors (beige and black) are visible.

Osto.me Fashion brings colour, polish and couture energy to the world of ostomy covers

With Paula Sojo, confidence doesn’t arrive late or linger in the shadows. It leads, bold and unapologetic, the first thing you see. At 23, the Toronto creator and co-founder of Osto.me Fashion treats an ostomy cover like a satin clutch or a perfect pair of hoops . . .  definitely not as a disguise but as a styling choice. She transformed a medical pouch into a canvas of quiet luxury, soft against skin, then built a label with its own collections, distinct voice and a fanbase eager for function that flirts with fashion.

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A photograph of Ramy Gafni, a dark-haired man with a mustache and soul patch, smiling outdoors at night. He is wearing a dark suit jacket with a white horizontal stripe and stands on a balcony with a glass railing. In the background, there is a city skyline with tall buildings lit up, including the Empire State Building with its iconic spire visible.

Ramy Gafni brings accessible beauty to people of all abilities

Some people grow into their careers like ivy up a brick wall. Ramy Gafni cannonballed into his. He’d flirted with law, toyed with veterinary school, even hopped halfway across the planet to Australia before settling on the beauty world. However, he did not settle on beauty because it was an easy choice. When every other path made him restless, this one made him feel alive.

Today, Ramy’s name is carved into the brow world like a signature: celebrity clients, high-end product lines, Vogue write-ups. Yet the road there was hardly a glossy montage of airbrushed success. Cancer barged in when his career was catching fire. 

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A vibrant photo of a woman seated outdoors in a pink wheelchair against a textured rock wall. She is wearing a green off-the-shoulder crop top, a white floral midi skirt, green platform heels, and an orange beret and sunglasses. A bright orange novelty purse shaped like a rotary phone is slung over her shoulder. The wheelchair's back wheel features a custom pink cover with a stylized tiger design.

Samantha Jade Duran inspires with DIY adaptive tweaks anyone can try at home

Samantha Jade Duran is a Miami creator bringing DIY adaptive fashion to life. As an ambulatory wheelchair user, she spotted something fashion consistently misses: clothing fits differently standing than seated. Waistbands rise, skirts pool and sleeves snag. She turned that reality into Seated vs. Standing, a series that reveals how clothing really performs in everyday use. Think fashion criticism with a sewing kit on standby.

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A group of six young women standing and smiling in a bright room with marble floors. They are flanked by dress forms and mannequins displaying custom lingerie and corset fashion designs.

The future of fashion is inclusive and Mindy Scheier is dressing it with Runway of Dreams

The story starts in a kid’s closet, not a Paris showroom. Mindy Scheier’s son Oliver was eight, tired of sweatpants and compromise. He walked in from school and said the sentence that flipped his mother’s life inside out. “Mom, I want to wear jeans like everybody else.”

It was a simple request but the impact was sharp. Mindy, a fashion designer with years in the industry, felt it like a punch. She knew clothing as art, status, self-expression. Her son, who has a rare form of muscular dystrophy, knew clothing as a daily obstacle. 

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A woman seated in a wheelchair holding up a compact, folded black bundle in her hands. This shows the "Lap Jacket" packed away for storage, secured with a black strap and velcro, demonstrating its portability.

Chloe Angus: The Lap Jacket

Simple design fits over your lap and wheelchair seat effortlessly.

Loop at end of belt allows for ease of use with limited hand function. Durable and Comfortable: Crafted from durable waterproof fabric for maximum protection.

Soft fleece on the underside adds warmth and comfort during use.

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An advertisement for Liberare front-close bras featuring a middle-aged blonde woman against a light lavender background. She is wearing a black bra and demonstrating the front-closure mechanism with her hands. The top text reads, "Finally, front-close bras that are easy-on." Surrounding her are four five-star reviews praising the bra for being helpful after surgery, for those with arthritis, and for its comfort in larger sizes.
Adaptive men’s blazer with hook-and-loop closure worn by a model using mobility aids, shown in a clean studio layout. Promotional graphic reads ‘Elevating Adaptive Fit’ and ‘No buttons necessary,’ highlighting accessible fashion that combines style, ease of dressing, and independence.
Three diverse models wearing adaptive lingerie sit confidently on a sofa in a modern studio. One model uses a wheelchair, highlighting inclusive, accessible intimates designed for independence, comfort, and confidence. Branding text reads ‘even adaptive,’ promoting innovative adaptive underwear for all bodies

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