Disability and Fashion

Stephanie Thomas

“I am a huge fan of Stephanie and her work. She is a passionate advocate and brings her lived experience to lend credibility and fuel her creativity in crafting custom fit chic expressions. So whether Stephanie is styling for a photo shoot or hosting podcast you I\’ll be in great hands with her smooth at-home demeanor and sense of professionalism. You are sure to leave well-suited and with a higher sense of self-esteem.” -Heather Watkins, Disability Advocate /Author

Stephanie is a Disability Fashion Styling expert, taste maker and keynote speaker. Guided by her Disability Fashion Styling System, she creates brands, footwear, and accessories for people with disabilities. For 26 years she’s researched clothing and retail trends exclusively for people with disabilities, but as a congenital amputee she’s basically been a “disability fashion stylist all her life”. It’s her personal experience that fans the flames of her passion. In her TEDx Talk that was highlighted by TED as one of seven talks by people with disabilities breaking down barriers for people with disabilities, she shares how her hobby became her life’s work. Work that celebrity stylist and author Stacy London told her to, “continue doing because she didn’t know another person doing that work.”

Her commitment to using fashion as a tool to increase employment opportunities for actors and influencers with disabilities, goes beyond her personal work. She also serves on the Board of Directors of No Limits Media and volunteers for Dress for Success. Stephanie is expanding the conversation around fashion and beauty by partnering with non-disability related brands like Beautycon Media and the Paris-based innovative fashion and technology hub, Look Forward, to name a few. Prior to working as a Disability Fashion Styling expert she worked in television and radio for over a decade as an on-air personality and professional voice actor. She has been and continues to be the trusted voice of brands like Jet Blue, Macy’s, Popeye’s, Hardees, McDonald’s. Elmer’s Glue, Miller Beer, Geico and more. Today, Stephanie uses her media experience to:

  1. Create looks as an LA-based stylist exclusively for actors and influencers with disabilities.
  2. Host the new podcast Twenty-Six and Counting…which refers to the number of years she’s followed the adaptive fashion sector and focuses on current trends affecting the industry today.
  3. Challenge negative perceptions of people with disabilities as a keynote/panel speaker, cultural taste maker, and content creator.
  4. Educates industry leaders that are interested in meeting the fashion and styling needs of people with disabilities.
2020 Speaker List