It's time for the fashion world to embrace diversity

IT WAS a dog walk on the beach at Cleethorpes which sparked a light-bulb moment that has given inspiration and hope to disabled people all over Britain, who are now realising their dream to be actors, models or media stars.

Teacher Zoe Proctor and social worker Laura Johnson decided to launch Zebedee Management, the first talent agency to exclusively represent disabled people.

Eighteen months on they are toasting their latest success as one of their models, seven-year-old double amputee Daisy-May Demetre, was this week unveiled as the face of River Island’s girls’ wear range.

Zoe, 44, and her sister-in-law Laura, 35, are taking the fashion and advertising worlds by storm.

Their 300 models include world class wheelchair tennis star James Shaw and Vicky Balch, who lost a leg in the Alton Towers rollercoaster crash – and their models have fronted national campaigns for big brands such as Mothercare, Marks & Spencer, Land Rover, Supersavers and Matalan. 

Earnings range from £50 an hour for basic work up to £10,000 for a big shoot. “We’re not doing it for the money,” says Laura.

“It’s more about changing society because the more disabled people are represented in the media the more that’s going to filter down positively into the rest of society.

Hopefully that’s going to make the world a more accepting place.

“Zoe and I both have a background in helping people with disability – she is a performing arts teacher for disabled people.

On our dog walk she was bemoaning the fact that they just didn’t seem to get the chance to appear in the media, in acting or in commercials.

There didn’t seem to be agencies willing to advocate on their behalf. So we said, if no one else is working for them then why don’t we?

“We hadn’t done any research – we just decided we were going to go for it all guns blazing.

We set up the business that day, making contacts, starting a talent database, getting a website sorted out.

Zebedee was the name of Zoe’s performing arts group so it seemed natural to call our agency that.  Zebedee in The Magic Roundabout is a bouncy, full of fun character – that’s what we’re trying to be about.”

FORMER model Zoe, 44, from Cleethorpes, says: “Diversity in advertising is increasingly important.

But people with disabilities are often overlooked, though there’s now an improved awareness of disability after the Paralympics, the Invictus Games and of course the London Games.

There are more than two million people with disabilities in the UK and most are either affected by disability directly or know someone who is.

“We need to bring the world of fashion up to date. We have some stunning models who are wonderful in front of the camera.

We have a broad array of talent with a selection of needs and abilities including Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, autism, Tourette’s and spina bifida. 

“That said, we don’t want to focus on people’s disabilities and would prefer to consider their unique characteristics, which will help promote a positive portrayal of diversity in the media.

Disabled people still remain significantly less likely to be in employment so we’re giving our models opportunities that they would not normally have.”

Laura agrees: “A lot of the time our clients get ignored by big brands and it’s time for the fashion world to genuinely embrace disability.

“There are still barriers to break down but slowly attitudes are changing.

At first it wasn’t easy to find clients to represent either, especially adults because many of them have issues with self-esteem and confidence.

The biggest challenge our models face is discrimination. For a long time they’ve been hidden from the public eye and some brands find it hard to imagine their advertising campaigns being so diverse and inclusive.

Things have improved dramatically since we started and casting directors and brands are much more ready to talk to us about working with disabled people.

“It’s all about changing perceptions. The public want to see advertising that represents the world they live in – and you can’t hide disability from that message.

You look around and see people who have lost limbs, who are blind, who have learning difficulties. That’s the real world they want to see reflected.”

Television is changing: Channel 4 soap opera Brookside uses Zebedee talent as background extras. Coronation Street features a young boy who has lost a limb, has a Down syndrome actor and has an actress who relies on a wheelchair.

Now Daisy-May has shot to fame. “She’s gorgeous, awesome,” says Laura.

“River Island didn’t select her for the big modelling job because of her disability but because she’s such a sporty little girl. It’s all about inclusion.”

Daisy-May, from Birmingham, was born with a rare bone defect which meant her legs had to be amputated when she was 18 months old.

Her father, water company worker Alex, saw Zebedee featured on TV and suggested Daisy-May should sign up with them. 

She won a contract with River Island to model its “active wear” range online wearing her bouncy prosthetic blades and she has appeared on the catwalk at London Fashion Week.

Alex says: “She’s inspirational, full of energy, nothing will stop her. She’s going to be the most famous double amputee on the planet.”

Laura adds: “River Island are totally against tokenism and are always using our talent, including those who have hidden disabilities such as autism.

I hope more brands follow suit so they concentrate on body diversity as well as things like ethnic and gender diversity.

There’s a false impression that people are somehow squeamish about seeing people with disabilities but that’s not our experience.

If children don’t grow up seeing people with disabilities on TV, how are they ever going to learn about it and become more accepting?

“I watch Mr Tumble on TV with my little girl, who’s two, and all the children on the show have a disability. I’m really happy she’s going to grow up thinking that is perfectly normal.”

LAURA’S ONES TO WATCH OUT FOR IN THE FUTURE

LAURA loves all her clients but reluctantly picked out these as future stars: Hannah and Rachel, 18-month-old twins.

“They’re absolutely beautiful and their family are incredibly supportive .” Grace W, seven, has Down syndrome.

She’s done some work for Disney. Grace loves horse riding and uses a mixture of spoken word and sign language in order to communicate.

Chloe L, five, from Irvine, Ayrshire, has a big Instagram following after she starred in a Facebook video for World Down Syndrome Day urging viewers to wear odd socks to celebrate the event.

Edgardo is five and has cerebral palsy. He uses a wheelchair and sometimes a walker and, according to Laura, “has the most brilliant smile all the time”.