Models in wheelchairs graced the stage in Moscow’s Fashion Week. The wheelchair users appeared in the NP Open World collection show alongside models without disabilities. The organisation Open World aims to provide more opportunities for those who are disabled, and this fashion show was a manifestation of that aim.

The models who appeared within the show were seen modelling all manner of clothes, from cocktail dresses to leather pants and high heels. Each model clearly enjoyed their time in the spotlight and posed fiercely at the end of the runway.

What a fierce bunch of women. This inclusivity is vital to show the world that there’s more than one kind of runway model. Since the show featured both people who were sitting and standing, it kept the audience entertained and made the show much more dynamic.

Despite its reputation, Russia has been a pioneer in the integration of disabled models into high end fashion. In October 2016, the spring/summer 2017 collection from Bezgraniz Couture that featured in the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Russia also had disabled models.

Bezgraniz Couture has a key focus on “providing fashion that improves quality of life for people with different types of disabilities, and for their family and friends”. The company was founded by Janina Urussowa and Tobias Reisner, who saw a clear gap in the high fashion market and decided to cater to it.

The brand’s motto is “Changing the world of fashion — we change the world.” The company and its aim are inspirational, and we hope other brands will follow suit. Although the brand has no plans to come to Australia just yet, they did a show in 2016 for the Los Angeles Fashion Week, which featured ten handsome men with protheses walking down the runway.

Hopefully Australia will follow in Russia’s fashion footsteps and create a world of diversity on the runway for Australian models, whether it be more wheelchair models on the runway or models with Down Syndrome. This is a conversation that the Australian fashion industry needs to have.