Fashion business: Lingerie by Elena Fenby of Gloucester exhibited in Paris and …

Being diagnosed with a rare degenerative condition just months after graduating from university, left Elena Fenby unable to get a job.

But in an inspirational turnaround, the 23-year-old from Longlevens has not only launched her own line of luxury lingerie but had it showcased around the world.

Less than two years after her diagnosis with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, the design graduate has already exhibited at shows in Paris, Hong Kong and Cheltenham and launched her own web-based company, By Elena.

“Because of my condition I was not able to get a job, which is why I decided to set up my own business,” said the 23-year-old. “I was not sure what I wanted to do and I came across the lingerie design, and it all went from there, really.

“But this is higher-end more expensive luxury lingerie which is very elegant and different to what people would normally buy.

“It has been very, very difficult but I have got to the point where I am getting my production run done and I have spoken to retailers who have given me some good comments and feedback.”

The creation of her products begins in her sewing room and she describes her range of bras, knickers and nightwear as functional items.

A number of her designs, which have been inspired by the Queen’s Jubilee, went on display at Cheltenham Fashion Week.

She studied lingerie design at De Montfort University in Leicester but was diagnosed in 2012 with ED- which causes stretchy skin, loose joints and fragile body tissues.

Elena also has postural auto-static tacycardi which affects the heart rate and blood pressure.

She said: “With Ehlers-Danlos, the body works much harder to keep the joints in place as they are extra loose which causes a lot of fatigue and pain. There were so many problems I came across and I could have quite easily said ‘I’m not carrying on’.

“But I have really enjoyed it. All of my products are made in the UK and that is something people are really interested in at the moment.”

Elena has saved the funds needed to launch her business and her website will go live as soon as her products are complete finished.

She was supported by the Prince’s Trust and its enterprise scheme, paid for by The European Regional Development Fund, which helps young people work out if their business ideas are viable and to get them off the ground.

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Stephanie Cadieux to model at Kwantlen fashion show

Minister of Children and Family Development Stephanie Cadieux will be modelling a Kwantlen Polytechnic University student’s designs for women in wheelchairs at the university’s annual graduate fashion show, held at the River Rock Casino Resort on April 24.

For Kaylyn MacKenzie’s final project as a fourth-year KPU fashion design student, she set out to challenge the idea that adaptive apparel has to be out of style.

Her designs—which will be modelled in three back-to-back shows by Cadieux and her friends Kirsten Sharp, peer program coordinator for Spinal Cord Injury BC, and Teri Thorson, Rick Hansen Foundation ambassador—are based on the principle that disability has no limitations.

“With so few options for clothing that are up-to-date for those with disability, I decided to make my niche market female wheelchair users. Vancouver is very accommodating to those that live with occupational barriers in life, yet the only clothing lines available to those with disability are aimed at a mature market,” says MacKenzie, who believes that the ability to extend one’s personality through fashion should be available to everyone, in every situation.

Along with her peers in KPU’s fashion, design and technology program, MacKenzie was required to extensively research market demands, needs and niches in order to create her final collection. To develop YOU, MacKenzie met with Cadieux.

“Kaylyn really understands the unique challenges in finding clothes that work well and are comfortable when seated and wheeling,” says Cadieux.

MacKenzie’s inspiration for YOU came from her experience working with disabilities ranging from autism, cerebral palsy, spinal cord injuries and bariatric persons.

“This is clothing that takes me into consideration,” says Thorson. Sharp adds: “We’ve all heard the term ‘form and function’; Kaylyn brings this to a whole new level for the seated individual, while staying up to date with current fashion.”

“People need to realize that, for example, a wheelchair is only an extension of who that person is: it doesn’t make them who they are. Those without a disability need to look beyond what we like to think is a barrier. People with disabilities live every day the same as you and I,” says MacKenzie.

The Show will showcase 37 emerging designers, each with a unique fashion line.

The runway outfits range in style and audience, with fashions for men, women, children and tweens; athletics, travellers and professionals. The Show will feature lingerie, lounge-wear, beach-wear, and outer-wear for the street and for motorcyclists, as well as fashionable clothing designed specifically for people in wheelchairs, the eco-conscious and those preparing for the zombie apocalypse.

The students—who are organizing the event in collaboration with other students, KPU faculty and staff, and industry experts—will display their garments in three back-to-back shows on April 24 at the River Rock Casino and Show Theatre in Richmond.

Tickets for The Show start at $18. For more information about the event, visit: kpu.ca/theshow2014.

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