Penryn Artist Josie Tang to Walk the Disability Pride Catwalk

Josie Tang grew up without seeing anyone like them on a fashion runway. At the end of this month, the 21-year-old from Penryn becomes the person they wish they had seen.

Josie, an artist and disability advocate, is heading to Manchester to take part in the Disability Pride Catwalk, a one-off fashion show where every model on the runway is disabled, neurodivergent or chronically ill. They are also calling for better representation of disabled people across the industry ahead of the event.

A first runway for a Falmouth graduate

It is Jo’s first time as a catwalk model. They recently graduated in fashion styling and artistic direction from Falmouth University, and signed up because, as they put it, “seeing disability representation in the fashion industry is so important.”

All 16 models taking part are disabled, neurodivergent or chronically ill. Some will use wheelchairs and other mobility aids. Many have hidden disabilities. Each of them will wear adaptive designs from a young label called RECONDITION.

“The representation I never saw”

For Jo, the gap is personal and specific.

“Representation of disabled people of colour is particularly lacking,” they said, “and I would love to be the representation that I never saw as a child growing up.”

Jo is autistic and has ADHD, alongside multiple chronic illnesses including endometriosis, hypermobile EDS and PoTS, a nervous system condition that makes the heart beat very quickly on standing up. Getting dressed is part of the daily challenge.

“I really struggle with dressing and undressing myself, as well as having sensory issues with seams and materials,” they said.

But fashion is also where Jo feels most themselves.

“I love to express myself through fashion. It’s really important to me and I have just finished a fashion course at university. Finding the balance of fun clothes I like the look of but are also comfortable and okay sensory-wise is really difficult. Adaptive fashion companies like RECONDITION bring choice to people who otherwise may feel excluded.”

The label behind the show

Every garment in RECONDITION’s denim-centred collection is built with accessibility in mind. There are front pockets on jeans designed for wheelchair users, ring pull zips for people with reduced dexterity, and sleeves with poppers running their full length to accommodate prosthetic limbs or medical equipment, from feeding tubes to insulin pumps.

The brand launched in 2025, founded by Manchester Metropolitan University fashion graduate Ellie Brown. Ellie’s understanding of how unaccommodating clothing can be came in 2021, when she badly broke her ankle and used a wheelchair for several months.

“The Disability Pride Catwalk is a safe space for people to celebrate bodies of all kinds whilst enjoying the atmosphere and experience of a runway show,” Ellie said. “I also hope the event will provoke useful discussions about how fashion, and society as a whole, can take more accountability for inclusivity.”

The numbers behind the message

The case for change is not small. Research from disability charity Leonard Cheshire found that mainstream fashion in the UK fails to meet the needs of three quarters of disabled people.

Government figures put the number of disabled people in the UK at 16.8m, around a quarter of the population. Among people of state pension age, that rises to almost half, at 45%.

How to go

The Disability Pride Catwalk takes place at Manchester’s Aviva Studios, home of Factory International, on Saturday 27 June 2026, ahead of Disability Pride Month. Tickets are free.

You can see Jo’s own work at @presentedbyjo on Instagram.