“Show me your best model walk,” my friend Lizzie calls out as we saunter down Amsterdam Ave, walking off a particularly delectable Italian dinner in the Upper West Side of Manhattan. I strut ahead of her and then turn around to strike a pose. “Gorgeous! She’s a natural,” Lizzie laughs.
Walking the runway for New York Fashion Week
On September 9, 2024, I will embark on one of my more frightening endeavors to date: walking the runway for New York Fashion Week. I am thrilled to represent the disability community and walk for Runway of Dreams, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering people with disabilities to engage in self-expression through beauty and fashion, often through the use of adaptive clothing.
The organization’s strong commitment to disability inclusion is what attracted me to the opportunity. Representation in the industry is important. And I hope to play my own small part by modeling during NYFW, to show that people with disabilities are beautiful and deserve representation. We want to see more models that look like us, celebrating all abilities, races, ages, and genders. The future is inclusive.
While modeling in a big fashion show certainly feels like a dream come true, it is no less daunting. As a fashion-conscious stroke survivor with foot drop, I’m always looking for ways to express myself through the clothes I wear, including how I style my mobility devices. In preparation to walk the runway, I decided to consult our CIONIC community for the best tips on how everyone wears and styles their Neural Sleeves.
Blanca:
Blanca is a member of the CIONIC community in Colorado living with MS. She wears the Neural Sleeve on her left side due to severe weakness in her leg and hip. The Sleeve enables her to ambulate short distances and climb the stairs in her home. “Even though I’m disabled I still want my style to remain and improve,” she tells me.
Blanca will often match her sapphire-blue Neural Sleeve with the color of her clothes, cane, or handbag. “My style is my way of being, my way of expressing myself. I love art in all its forms,” Blanca says.
She loves wearing her Sleeve with dresses or shorts to stand out, and will often plan her outfits to match her Neural Sleeve before getting dressed in the morning. “Put the Sleeve on the bed with clothes you want to wear to see how it looks first, with your accessories,” she advises. “It’s easier to visualize how it will look, a certain outfit.”
Bridget:
“I used to be an athlete and this (diagnosis) has been hard, but with CIONIC it’s so much better,” CIONIC community member Bridget tells me. Bridget has PPMS and the Neural Sleeve helps her foot drop and enables her to exercise on the Peloton. She loves cycling and tends to dress in comfortable athleticwear with her Sleeve.
She even took her leggings to Lululemon, where they hemmed them to fit around her Neural Sleeve, free of cost. “What’s great is it totally fits snugly enough over the top of the sleeve that it keeps it in place,” she says.
Rose:
Rose has MS and foot drop and has been wearing the Neural Sleeve since October 2023. She loves that she no longer has to wear her AFO. Even without it, she feels that she has more energy when wearing the Neural Sleeve.
”Put on the Sleeve first and calibrate it before getting fully dressed,” is her biggest piece of advice. Once the Sleeve is on and the settings are dialed in, Rose continues getting dressed, usually in skorts or wide-leg pants which are both fashionable and functional.
Amy:
Amy is a retired kindergarten teacher living between Akron and Columbus, Ohio. She has been diagnosed with MS for the past twelve years and since she started wearing the Neural Sleeve she has seen dramatic improvements in her mobility.
She wears her Sleeve to help her carry out the activities of daily living, like walking, shopping, and doing physical therapy exercises. “For me it’s all about coolness and comfort,” Amy tells me. Cooling tanks and shorts are a staple in her wardrobe, and she wears them with her Sleeve on all day long. “Be patient with your body and with the Sleeve,” she advises.
“It’s an aid, not a cure, so (that) we can keep living life on our terms.” Amy shares that she sometimes switches the placement of the Sleeve on her leg 3-4 times per day. But when she gets it right, the Sleeve greatly enables her to live her life, mitigating the fall risk.
As a matter of fact, Amy will be wearing her Neural Sleeve to walk down the aisle when she marries the love of her life in October. Congratulations Amy and we can’t wait to see you rock your Neural Sleeve on your big day!
How do YOU wear your Neural Sleeve? How do YOU incorporate adaptive clothing into your wardrobe?
Which brands – adaptive clothing brands or otherwise – are your favorite? How do you like to style your Neural Sleeve? We love getting inspired by our community, so please send us all of your styling tips!
