Creating a more inclusive space on the fashion runway

Inclusivity on the fashion runway. It’s something that has slowly been improving and for one family with a young daughter with disabilities it has become a reality that has now garnered nationwide attention.

Kelty Allanach is a 12-year-old model from Alberta and next week she’ll be getting on a plane to head to Toronto to grace the runaway at Toronto Kids Fashion Week.

“I’m very excited,” says Kelty, who has Cerebral Palsy and is one of three models with a visible disability who will be taking part in the event.

Asked what she’s looking forward to the most when she gets to the event, she says “To see people in wheelchairs.”

Kelty first got into modelling during the pandemic and while the experience was positive, her parents realized there seemed to be a lack of knowledge when it came to accommodating people with disabilities and they wanted to change that. So the family took matters into their own hands and created Kello Inclusive, a talent agency representing disabled and visibly different talent – the only one of its kind in Canada.

“It’s been a bit of a wild ride since but in the best possible way,” says Katie Macmillan the co-owner of Kello Inclusive. “The response we’ve been getting from everyone really, from the disabled community to society in general.”

In six short months, the family run business has grown rapidly and now represents 50 models with disabilities. And while the industry has been welcoming their clients with open arms, Katie says there’s still a long way to go to create a more inclusive space for all.

“I think the challenges still remains on a social level, just how much work needs to be done in making sure people see disability as normalized.”

Katie adds these opportunities have helped boost the confidence of her daughter and she hopes she can do the same for others just like Kelty.

“She was talking to me about somebody in her class she wanted to be friends with and she said she was going to talk to them about being friends and pass a note saying can we be friends. And I was like a protective mom worried about whether she was going to have a good response. She came home that day and I asked did you send the note. And she said they didn’t respond and I said honey are you ok? And she’s like, yeah I’m famous.”

Toronto Kids Fashion Week takes place next Saturday which also happens to fall on International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

You can get more information at tkfw.ca.