San Antonio children with disabilities get custom-designed clothes through FashionAble

The 10th pair followed with a flair. Twelve-year-old Ariana Gutierrez matched steps with Amberlyn Reyna-Martinez, 17, who co-designed her outfit. Ariana wore ripped mom jeans and a burgundy crop top Amberlyn altered to allow movement of her arm affected by Erb’s palsy.

Amberlyn lifted Ariana’s hand and twirled her with a flourish, a move far from her first time on stage several years ago.

“I was nervous,” Ariana said two days before the event. “My heart starts pumping, but after 10 minutes of practice, I’m okay.”

An estimated 200 people attended the 14th annual fashion show sponsored by Spina Bifida Texas on Saturday. This year, 26 children with disabilities modeled garments they co-created with 37 fashion design students from six local high schools.

Matthew Guinn, 14, won Best in Show for his Harry Potter ensemble he designed with Josselin Garza, 18, from Wagner High School. Marithza Rangel, 9, won Best Modification for a pink dress with a floral overlay she designed with Ana Roman, 17, that featured a secret pocket where her mother could access her feeding tube.

Roseanne Gonzales, Spina Bifida Texas executive director, said the event is more about adaptive fashion rather than style.

“Our number one goal is for them to have something that makes sense for their life,” Gonzales said. “And something that’s medically safe and fashionable. It’s so exciting to see the modifications on the runway.”

The children work with design students to create adaptive clothes that can be worn with ease and comfort. Together, they create garments to fit any model’s body type. They agree on material that can be worn comfortably with the use of a wheelchair, brace or attached medical device.

Gonzales said in 2007, the nonprofit’s former director Nora Oyler thought of creating the event after attending a fashion show at University of the Incarnate Word with her daughter Cynthia, who has spina bifida.

When her daughter asked if she could be a model one day, Oyler replied, “Of course, you can be a model.”

Oyler contacted Sandy Starr, a fashion design teacher at Jefferson High School, for help in creating the project.

The first show featured 16 designers and 10 models on the runway. In 2019, 10 schools participated and featured 93 garments. Saturday’s show was the first in-person show since 2020, when COVID-19 shut production down.

Gonzales and board president Jacqueline Perez pivoted in 2021. They delivered the garments to 50 models for photos at their homes.

“We gave them the photoshoot that they deserved,” Gonzales said. “It was a chance for the students to receive their garment and have a fashion show experience without being in danger of being sick.”

On Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., they rang the models’ doorbells, wore masks, and handled all the stage props with gloves. Family and friends cheered as models strolled out of homes onto decorated front lawns. They set up at community playgrounds for models who lived in apartments.

This year, design students at Wagner High School made their last changes to outfits two days before the show.

Ariana met with Amberlyn and opted to have the sleeves of her top removed and rhinestones added to match silver gems on her jeans.

“It feels good and satisfying to help someone,” Amberlyn said over the hum of sewing machines. “I really hope she likes it — that’s my main goal.”

Ariana’s grandmother Imelda Gutierrez, 54, looked on as the pair conferred at Amberlyn’s sewing station.

“I think it’s awesome what they’re doing with the kids,” she said. “It’s good for the girls. Their work gets to be seen. I’m very grateful.”

Students wheeled mannequins, fitted with in-work patterns, to instructor Laura Rohm for guidance. Rohm, who has taught fashion design at Wagner for 14 years, said most people don’t think about how others dress.

“This opens their eyes,” Rohm said. “There are good teaching moments.”

She said because of class numbers and COVID delays, this could be the final year for the design class at Wagner. The fashion design instructor said there’s a plan for a survey to assess numbers for the class.

Kristina Thompson, 16, said she attended Wagner for the design program. She said the class has made her think about the impact of designing clothes for people who use adaptive equipment.

“FashionAble has been really mind-changing for me,” Kristina said. “I hope they understand what they’re doing, taking away this program. This is a home for a lot of people. It’s kind of heartbreaking.”

Months of planning, designing and alterations took shape Saturday as the followers of fashion returned to the runway.

Backstage, Rohm helped the teams prepare. Amberlyn looked on as a hairdresser styled Ariana’s hair in the glam room. After the last touch-ups were made, the models and designers lined up in the hallway. As the pairs made their way to the stage, the master of ceremonies, San Antonio Riverwalk Queen Michelle Bononcini, welcomed the audience to “witness the magic!”

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