For as long as I can remember, attending the Met Gala has been a dream and an objective of mine. Growing up, I longed to witness someone like me on the livestream – because the Met Gala is a symbol of the fashion system, an institution within the fashion calendar and a global touchpoint for so many to be educated on the voices that we should listen to. As a disabled woman, I firmly believe in the phrase, “If you can see it, you can be it”.
Tonight marks the first time that a little person has attended the Met Gala. It is surreal, inspiring and humbling to be gracing the infamous red carpet. I am so grateful to Gucci, Vogue and Anna Wintour for their empathy and openness in thinking broadly about my accessibility needs. Prior to tonight, I practised the stairs, and did an accessibility audit of the seating, bathrooms, elevators and corridors to figure out where and how we could ensure that I am as independent as possible on this very glamorous night. (Speaking of glamorous – my footstools have been decorated to seamlessly blend with the Met Gala furniture.)
I first met Marco Bizzarri, the CEO of Gucci, in September last year when he kindly presented me with The Leadership Award at Eco-Age’s Green Carpet Awards, at La Scala, in Milan. We shared a thought-provoking and important conversation about inclusivity in the fashion industry. It was the starting point for a very meaningful relationship.
After Milan, Gucci and I worked together to create the most sensational blue silk and lace gown for the World Economic Forum in Davos. I opened the conference, speaking about design for everyone. The relationship I was building with Gucci was an example in best practice. As a teacher, I believe that education is the catalyst we need to create sustainable change. Often, exclusion is not malicious or intentional, but we are blinkered, and repeat behaviours that we have inherited. We need to be exposed to new ideas, thinking and perspectives.
To encourage this, I spoke at Gucci’s global marketing and communications summit. My role was to challenge traditional definitions of power and ask questions about the voices who get to speak, be heard, create and participate. (Gucci responded really favourably – and I cannot wait to tell you what we will be doing next!)
Then, just before Gucci’s autumn/winter 2019 fashion show in February, we had the first fitting for the extraordinary dress that I’m lucky to be wearing tonight. Over the past couple of months, the team at Gucci have become friends and confidants. Alessandro Michele has an innate understanding of my taste and often challenges me to be brave and fearless in what I wear.
Susan Sontag is one of my favourite writers and if there is ever a moment in which I need inspiration, Notes on Camp has consistently been my starting point. Camp is indescribable, but for me, it constitutes a safe space for anyone who dares to be different. It’s a home for the unpredictable.
Yet, when Gucci and I began thinking on what I could and would wear, we wanted this moment to be powerful and important. As a little person, my physicality is often ridiculed. There have been very few moments in pop culture where a woman like me has had agency over her own aesthetic. We were careful that what I’m wearing was not a costume but a reflection of me as a person and a way in which I could communicate my advocacy to the world.
In Gucci’s atelier in Rome, there now sits a mannequin customized to my measurements. This means that from the first fitting, the dress was almost perfect. Yet, with this event, we had to be conscious of the weight of the fabric, the length of the train and the exact proportions of the bows to ensure that I felt as comfortable and confident as possible tackling the stairs and the global attention at my first Met Gala. No pressure!
I’ve been very fortunate to get some advice from some sensational people this week (name drops ahead!) who have been to the Met Gala on several occasions. Florence Welch said that I should be confident and bold in taking up space on the red carpet; Janelle Monae recommended that I just be myself and to remember that I deserve to be there; and Ava DuVernay reminded me that it’ll all be over in an instant and to enjoy every second.
Ahead of tonight, I felt nervous. I can only speak for and represent myself, but at the same time, I feel a sense of responsibility. With accessibility, there is always the need to learn and achieve more. I’m hoping to be one of the people that helps to continue to push this forward.
Looking ahead, it’s essential that fashion continues to improve its diversity drive. Fashion is perhaps the only industry that we each have a tangible connection to: we all wear clothes, they touch our skin and it is a legal requirement that we get dressed every day. Whether we invest in high fashion or the high-street, we each have a perspective and a desire to feel represented.
I’m excited for what the night will hold. If I get the chance, I’d so love to meet Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Lena Waithe. Phoebe is an extraordinary talent who has portrayed difficult, villainous and messy women to the world, in a way that we did not know we needed. I once read that Lena Waithe said that the only way you can see change is by helping to create it. I have been so inspired by her career and the many, many ways that she has used her power to transform our definition of culture by amplifying the voices of so many talented people.
After practising the red carpet and the stairs, I’ve learned that it all looks far more monstrous and intimidating on-camera. That said, I might change my mind about this when the moment comes… wish me luck!
Tonight marks the first time that a little person has attended the Met Gala. It is surreal, inspiring and humbling to be gracing the infamous red carpet. I am so grateful to Gucci, Vogue and Anna Wintour for their empathy and openness in thinking broadly about my accessibility needs. Prior to tonight, I practised the stairs, and did an accessibility audit of the seating, bathrooms, elevators and corridors to figure out where and how we could ensure that I am as independent as possible on this very glamorous night. (Speaking of glamorous – my footstools have been decorated to seamlessly blend with the Met Gala furniture.)
I first met Marco Bizzarri, the CEO of Gucci, in September last year when he kindly presented me with The Leadership Award at Eco-Age’s Green Carpet Awards, at La Scala, in Milan. We shared a thought-provoking and important conversation about inclusivity in the fashion industry. It was the starting point for a very meaningful relationship.
After Milan, Gucci and I worked together to create the most sensational blue silk and lace gown for the World Economic Forum in Davos. I opened the conference, speaking about design for everyone. The relationship I was building with Gucci was an example in best practice. As a teacher, I believe that education is the catalyst we need to create sustainable change. Often, exclusion is not malicious or intentional, but we are blinkered, and repeat behaviours that we have inherited. We need to be exposed to new ideas, thinking and perspectives.
To encourage this, I spoke at Gucci’s global marketing and communications summit. My role was to challenge traditional definitions of power and ask questions about the voices who get to speak, be heard, create and participate. (Gucci responded really favourably – and I cannot wait to tell you what we will be doing next!)
Then, just before Gucci’s autumn/winter 2019 fashion show in February, we had the first fitting for the extraordinary dress that I’m lucky to be wearing tonight. Over the past couple of months, the team at Gucci have become friends and confidants. Alessandro Michele has an innate understanding of my taste and often challenges me to be brave and fearless in what I wear.
Susan Sontag is one of my favourite writers and if there is ever a moment in which I need inspiration, Notes on Camp has consistently been my starting point. Camp is indescribable, but for me, it constitutes a safe space for anyone who dares to be different. It’s a home for the unpredictable.
Yet, when Gucci and I began thinking on what I could and would wear, we wanted this moment to be powerful and important. As a little person, my physicality is often ridiculed. There have been very few moments in pop culture where a woman like me has had agency over her own aesthetic. We were careful that what I’m wearing was not a costume but a reflection of me as a person and a way in which I could communicate my advocacy to the world.
In Gucci’s atelier in Rome, there now sits a mannequin customized to my measurements. This means that from the first fitting, the dress was almost perfect. Yet, with this event, we had to be conscious of the weight of the fabric, the length of the train and the exact proportions of the bows to ensure that I felt as comfortable and confident as possible tackling the stairs and the global attention at my first Met Gala. No pressure!
I’ve been very fortunate to get some advice from some sensational people this week (name drops ahead!) who have been to the Met Gala on several occasions. Florence Welch said that I should be confident and bold in taking up space on the red carpet; Janelle Monae recommended that I just be myself and to remember that I deserve to be there; and Ava DuVernay reminded me that it’ll all be over in an instant and to enjoy every second.
Ahead of tonight, I felt nervous. I can only speak for and represent myself, but at the same time, I feel a sense of responsibility. With accessibility, there is always the need to learn and achieve more. I’m hoping to be one of the people that helps to continue to push this forward.
Looking ahead, it’s essential that fashion continues to improve its diversity drive. Fashion is perhaps the only industry that we each have a tangible connection to: we all wear clothes, they touch our skin and it is a legal requirement that we get dressed every day. Whether we invest in high fashion or the high-street, we each have a perspective and a desire to feel represented.
I’m excited for what the night will hold. If I get the chance, I’d so love to meet Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Lena Waithe. Phoebe is an extraordinary talent who has portrayed difficult, villainous and messy women to the world, in a way that we did not know we needed. I once read that Lena Waithe said that the only way you can see change is by helping to create it. I have been so inspired by her career and the many, many ways that she has used her power to transform our definition of culture by amplifying the voices of so many talented people.
After practising the red carpet and the stairs, I’ve learned that it all looks far more monstrous and intimidating on-camera. That said, I might change my mind about this when the moment comes… wish me luck!
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