Adaptista, British Academy of Fashion Design launch UK fashion scholarship for people with disabilities

The British Academy of Fashion Design and London-based online marketplace Adaptista, which specialises in adaptive and inclusive fashion, have teamed up to launch a scholarship programme in fashion design for people with disabilities.

The winner of the competition will receive 8,000 pounds in prize money to pursue a fashion design degree.

Adaptista founder Maria O’Sullivan-Abeyratne, who is herself disabled, was inspired to create the scholarship by a UK House of Commons Briefing Paper from 2023 that outlined the challenges students with a disability continue to face.

By launching the programme, the British Academy of Fashion and Adaptista hope to help make education, and fashion education in particular, accessible for all.

The partnership has attracted corporate funding from John Lewis White City. The company is offering the winner a high quality sewing machine.

In addition, inclusive job board Includability, is donating a year of membership to Adobe Creative Cloud and Microsoft 365, and will support the student with career mentoring and advice.

Adaptista, British Academy of Fashion Design launch inclusive fashion scholarship

UK students must apply for this scholarship by submitting a 500-word essay and mood board via the Adaptista website. The deadline for entries is March 31, 2023.

Applicants must be over 18 years of age and there is no upper age limit. All the necessary information about the competition is available on the Adaptista website.

Maria O’Sullivan, Founder and CEO Adaptista commented on the partnership in a statement, saying: “At Adaptista we are passionate about inclusion, representation and education for the disabled community in an industry which has historically excluded such a large proportion of the world’s population.”

“We are delighted to partner with such a forward-thinking educational body in the British Academy of Fashion Design and together give the opportunity for a disabled person to pursue their dream of working in fashion,” she continued.

“United we hope this scholarship will also help drive meaningful change within the fashion industry by highlighting the need for representation and progression in both education and employment.”

Jane Gregory, chief executive officer at the British Academy of Fashion Design added: “The British Academy of Fashion Design is committed to making accessibility a guiding principle of our organisation.”

“One of the practical ways we do this is by actively seeking to recruit a diverse community of learners to build a more inclusive workforce in the British fashion design industry,” she continued.

“We are privileged to work with Adaptista to establish this scholarship and to support this important mission now and into the future.“