London Fashion Week; the height of privileged fashion, an industry renowned for waste, environmental damage, overconsumption, rising debt, unattainable bodies and influencing mental health illness; gets an injection of kindness with the introduction of emerging and innovative fashion house and one of our Kind Businesses, Unhidden. And I was there to witness this iconic moment in history.
Kind Currency was created to place need as a priority. We support those we depend on in society that are living in deprivation by supporting ethical businesses, social enterprises, charities and community causes. Unhidden was one of the first businesses in our community, when I met Founder and Designer Victoria Jenkins, we had both been announced as the 100 Inspiring Female Entrepreneurs 2022, we shared our vision, our values, our chronic illnesses and invisible disabilities and our challenges as founders trying to deliver change that meet a significant need. Kind Currency was delighted to welcome Unhidden into our community. Unhidden; universal fashion for every BODY, an adaptive fashion brand that everyone can wear. Clothing that is stylish yet comfortable and supports the needs of disabled people. With an eye always on sustainability and not conforming to the catwalk by using non-professional models, people with various differences and needs, Unhidden is a kind business, that all of us can shop kind with.
On Friday 17th February, I headed to London Fashion Week to support and celebrate, not only Victoria and Unhidden, sponsored by Kurt Geiger and the Bicester Collection, but also to champion the disabled community I am delighted to call friends.
I smiled with pride as I watched friends shine on the fashion stage, their beauty demonstrating the power of ethical fashion. I was excited to watch Kate Stanforth, dancer and disabled activist from Northumberland, gracefully descend down the runway.
It was a joy to celebrate another kind business member, fellow Northerner and dear friend, Kathryn Paylor-Bent of Seated Sewing based in County Durham, an adaptive fashion designer herself, Kat was supporting Victoria and the Unhidden mission with her professional services throughout the London Fashion Week project. Kat has multiple conditions with regular hospital admittance, and in her own words, her wheels are her legs, placing her as the expert for adaptive fashion. Kat worked extremely hard during the process, managing her health and disability needs to meet the demand, hundreds of miles from home and her usual care team; Kat is a true demonstration of the talent, skill, ability and power of disabled individuals and this awesome community.
I travelled to London armed with our kind gifts, to support the show, to help reduce waste, support change and thank those involved and most importantly, pay kindness forward. We were delighted to work with independent creatives and producers on the creation of our kind bags and look forward to sharing these at all of our kind experiences to come. We love to reward our kind members; it is what we are here to do. London Fashion Week, an event that has always clashed with my personal ethos, an event I never thought I would attend due to the damage it creates, but, the tide is changing, and business must change, it needs to pivot and adapt to focus on need.
Huge congratulations to everyone involved in this incredible and historic moment, it was a privilege to share in the experience, let’s hope a ripple has been created in the fashion industry and we witness real change to protect people and planet.