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"If There's Criticism, It's a Huge Success": Transforming Society through Wheelchair Fashion – Challenging the Paris Collection Show with "bottom’all"
Is the clothing we wear every day really easy for everyone to wear? And can everyone truly enjoy fashionable attire?
For example, for wheelchair users, actions like putting on pants or wearing a dress can be burdensome. Difficulties in dressing and undressing make even using the restroom challenging. In other words, trendy fashion is often hard to wear and not even an option from the start.
With this realization, Kei Hirabayashi launched the Japan Persons with Disabilities Fashion Association (JPFA). With the motto of "Changing common sense through welfare × fashion," they aim not only to fundamentally change fashion design but also to provide employment support for people with disabilities and change societal attitudes.
This time, we interviewed Hirabayashi, who is preparing for a fashion show during Paris Fashion Week using corporate sponsorship and crowdfunding to discuss his past activities and the ideal relationship between fashion and society.
PROFILE
Kei Hirabayashi
After working as a hairdresser, in 2004, he joined Sanko Gakuen Educational System and became a teacher. In December 2016, he founded and became CEO of Tottolink Inc., expanding to three stores in just two years. Currently, he runs four after-school day service facilities in Amagasaki City, Hyogo Prefecture. In November 2019, he established the Japan Persons with Disabilities Fashion Association (JPFA) and became its representative director. In 2020, he launched the NextUD (Next Universal Design) brand bottom’all. He is now active in enlightenment efforts focused on giving lectures and sharing information on social media.
His recent book "先入観のタガをはずせ! ハンデがあるからうまくいく非常識な成功法則" was released on September 8.
First, please tell us about the background of establishing the Japan Persons with Disabilities Fashion Association.
The trigger was when an acquaintance mentioned, "I've never seen someone in a wheelchair walk the runway at a Paris fashion show." When I looked into it, I couldn't find any examples in the sources I checked. Then I thought, if we created fashion that even people in wheelchairs could participate in, that would be the coolest thing.
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