STYLISTS TO KNOW: STEPHANIE THOMAS OF CUR8ABLE
STEPHANIE THOMAS OF CUR8ABLE
Stephanie Thomas is an L.A. based
disability fashion stylist, policy maker,
TEDx speaker, congenital amputee, and founder of Cur8able. Cur8able is a fashion company that specializes in styling people with disabilities and consulting brands interested in authentically engaging disabled shoppers. Stephanie is also the original creator of the Disability Fashion Styling System® which centers the needs of the disabled community which have been historically overlooked by the fashion industry.
SHEER: Tell us a little bit about yourself.
STEPHANIE THOMAS: I’m a cisgendered proud black woman who grew up in Chicago. I grew up in the arts with a creative background and my dad was a musician. I minored in music and started singing once I realized playing the flute was difficult. I’ve also danced for years across modern, african, and jazz.
SHEER: What drew you to the fashion industry and how did you get your start?
ST: I’m a congenital amputee meaning I was born missing digits on my right hand and feet and sometimes people mistake that and think “oh you’re only missing digits” but that impacts every part of my body. How I ambulate, if I have swelling or not. I’ve always loved fashion since childhood. I always had an appreciation for it but it was unrequited. I always loved footwear but couldn’t find the right fit for my feet.
SHEER: Tell us more about the Disability Fashion Styling System® you developed and the impact it's had?
ST: The styling system was created because no one was listening to me. I was speaking to disabled people for years and asking them about their needs. My gift was always storytelling and I knew I didn’t want to manufacture clothing. So I wanted to bridge the gap and connect people with disabilities to the industry.
I never intended to or had a desire to start a business, I was a producer in television and media and a radio personality. I just wanted to help people. The Disability Fashion Styling System® is really straightforward. I ask three questions: “Is this piece of clothing easy to take off"?”, “Do they love it?”, and “Is it medically safe?” For example some clothing can result in dyserflexia which can cause nausea or sickness can be deadly for people if it happens while they’re driving.
“I want everyone to advocate for disabilities by just interacting with people with disabilities. Not just an ally but find what you like to do and let education happen organically with interaction like you would with any community. I don’t need more allies. Just don’t be an a**hole, be a regular human. We need education through interaction. ”
SHEER: How would you describe Cur8able and what led to its launch?
ST: Cur8able is a fashion company specializing in styling people with disabilities and consulting brands interested in authentically engaging disabled shoppers. It’s a company I never wanted to be a company. I had a very specific adventure where I was flown to L.A. by Baby Phat. They flew me out to design for people with disabilities and took me to the warehouse but then never called me back. I felt so gullible. This was a year before I started the Disability Fashion Styling System® in 2004.
While shopping in Target around 2004-2006 pet clothes became more popular at affordable price points. I thought to myself “Wow, a pet parent has more clothing options than a parent of a child with disabilities?”
“I never intended to or had a desire to start a business, I was a producer in television and media and a radio personality. I just wanted to help people. The Disability Fashion Styling System® is really straightforward. I ask three questions: “Is this piece of clothing easy to take off”?”, “Do they love it?”, and “Is it medically safe?” For example some clothing can result in dyserflexia which can cause nausea or sickness and be deadly for people if it happens while they’re driving.”
SHEER: How do you ensure Cur8able feels accessible for all?
ST: Cur8able is going through a transformation since I’m all about solving problems. Since everyone is talking about adaptive clothing, the future of adaptive clothing is universal design. We’re developing tech to help companies solve that problem. We’re also adding a SaaS model for cultural literacy. These companies cannot subscribe and receive the adaptive clothing tech without participating in cultural literacy. You have to learn about the culture and engage and respect it. I’ve developed a product that I know will have an impact on the industry.
At the same time, I will continue to make my social media all about culture. I will continue to show love and kindness to people that are overlooked, people that are ostracized, people told they don’t have value physically or metaphorically because of their body. I want our community to know Cur8able sees you and we don’t want to mine your data to make money off of you but we see you and we are you. This is a company run by a woman with a disability. I represent intersectionality. I want everyone to advocate for disabilities by just interacting with people with disabilities. Not just an ally but find what you like to do and let education happen organically with interaction like you would with any community. I don’t need more allies. Just don’t be an asshole, be a regular human. We need education through interaction.
SHEER: What have been your favorite collaborations for Cur8able so far and why?
ST: I’ve been following clothing trends for 30 years and I still believe my greatest work is ahead not behind. I think Zappos adaptive gets it, Nike gets it because Nike understands people want to wear cute shoes that are easy to put on and take off whether they’re injured or pregnant. There are a lot of people in the disability community, primarily women-run, who do great advocacy work. Samanta Bullock comes to mind, she’s Brazilian and lives in London and is looking at sustainable adaptive fashion with universal design.
Overall the disability community is one of the best spaces in the world to work in. On my Instagram @disabilityfashionstylist there are a lot more accounts I follow who are in this space that people can look into.
SHEER: In what ways do you believe the fashion industry can better advocate for people with disabilities?
ST: Really focus on who your perceived end user is. Because data is excellent once you know your audience but data can’t tell you everything. It’s not a human being. Talking to a thousand people isn’t enough, it’s not representative.
I’ve said this in my TedX talk, you can’t design for someone you don’t see. You can’t see someone you don’t value as a fashion customer.
“At the same time, I will continue to make my social media all about culture. I will continue to show love and kindness to people that are overlooked, people that are ostracized, people told they don’t have value physically or metaphorically because of their body. I want our community to know Cur8able sees you and we don’t want to mine your data to make money off of you but we see you and we are you.”
SHEER: How do you remain grounded in your mission while navigating an industry that still has a long way to go when it comes to eradicating ableism?
ST: I haven’t been very active on social media lately because I’ve lost my own voice. I’ve had a lot of non-black people white-facing my knowledge. I see people in major magazines quoting my words and getting credit for it. I’ve been quiet on social media not because I’m angry but because I was like Lord you made me this way. I’m the only one in my family born this way, what’s your purpose for me? What do you want me to do? Not what others want me to do.
By quieting myself as encouraged by my life coach, I’ve been able to find my voice again. Not knowing what I was doing was the greatest gift from God because it helped me pay better attention to people with disabilities. I was able to focus on the end user. And what’s missing is people don’t want to go to the person with disabilities, they want to use them to help them seem relevant but they don’t really want to engage.
Check out more from Stephanie and Cur8able below.
By Tiara Starks
Zhané Aliya is a content creator based in the Nashville bringing her own flair to the fashion, lifestyle, and DIY beauty content niches while speaking in-depth about her experiences as a Black creator navigating the platform’s ever-changing algorithm.