Fashion Dis is a new TV show aired by AMI-tv, and hosted by Canadian Ardra Shephard. Many will know her as the writer behind the influential and award-winning blog Tripping On Air. She is a leader in both the MS and chronic illness communities who felt ‘dissed by the fashion world’ when she began to need mobility aids several years ago.

From my own experience physical access into stores can be a barrier for people with disabilities simply looking for fashion. There is little imagery online which includes disability in the marketing platforms of mainstream media. To be on the receiving end of the stigma of disability is an attack on my sense of self, and it doesn’t feel good. For many others, to find adaptive, stylish clothing/attire is frustrating and challenging at best.

In Ardra’s words, fashion should be for everybody. She wanted to create a show that “that gets people rethinking what it means to be disabled.”

“Fashion Dis is a made-to-measure makeover series for participants with disabilities who are done being dissed by the fashion and beauty industry. Each episode celebrates the head-to-toe overhaul of a frustrated style-seeker, discouraged by a lack of adaptive options.”

This show will undoubtedly melt your heart. It premiered while I was going through my treatment in MX. I would watch an episode in bed on my laptop while the sun rose up over the mountains. The TV in my MX apartment wasn’t ‘smart enough’ for screen sharing from my laptop, but likely most people’s TVs are. I have zero fashion sense, but I love to fantasize about it (the pink fuzzy dice hanging from my scooter handle bars are stylish, yes? 😉

From the start of each show to the finish, I grinned from ear to ear, yet simultaneously my eyes were full of happy tears. Through the savvy skills of the experts, each star of the show was able to create a vision of themselves with adaptive clothing and beauty techniques that left each person feeling empowered as to who/how they wanted to feel, and to be seen as. I felt like I was right there with them.

There were six episodes in total (about 20 mins long) and each show was so unique from the other that it was impossible to say which was my favourite. No doubt, many topics will resonate in the psyche of each viewer. Everyone who worked on the show had their own story and challenges, which made the overall production even more meaningful and beautiful ❤️

I hope you enjoy the series as much as I did. Can’t wait for Season 2!

Stream all Fashion Dis episodes click here.

For bios and exclusives on the experts click here.

To Follow and Read More About Ardra:

IG: @ms_trippingonair
Twitter: @tripping_onair
Online: Tripping On Air