Stephanie Thomas facts for kids

Stephanie Thomas was born in Chicago, Illinois. She is an American fashion stylist who helps people with disabilities find clothes that fit well and look great. She is also a public speaker, a voice actor, and a professor.

People magazine shared a story about Stephanie. When she worked at a radio station called WVKL-FM in Norfolk, Virginia, she wore pajamas for a whole year! This was part of a campaign called "PJ Deejay." Every day, she talked on the radio about how hard it was for people with physical disabilities to find clothes. Stephanie said wearing pajamas in public made her feel alone and stressed.

Stephanie has worked in disability fashion styling for 30 years. She created a special way of styling called the Disability Fashion Styling System. Famous magazines and websites like Vogue, The Guardian, Refinery29, and The New Yorker have featured her work.

Early Life and Education

Stephanie Thomas was born with a condition called congenital amputation. This means she was born without her right thumb and is missing three toes. In a TEDx talk, she shared that doctors did not expect her to be able to walk. Stephanie finished high school in 1987. She later earned a Master of Arts degree in fashion journalism from Academy of Art University.

Stephanie's Career Journey

In an interview with The Guardian, Stephanie said that in 2006, she noticed something important. She realized there were more clothes for dogs in stores than for people with disabilities. Between 1992 and 2003, Stephanie did a lot of research on disability fashion. In 2004, she officially started her Disability Fashion Styling System.

Since 1997, Stephanie has also worked as a voice actor and a singer for jingles (short songs for commercials). She has lent her voice to big companies like Disney, Hilton, Macy's, Toyota, McDonald's, and Netflix.

Stephanie is also a teacher. She is an adjunct professor at Woodbury University in Burbank, California. There, she teaches students about fashion marketing.

In 2010, Stephanie started a blog about disability fashion. This blog grew into a successful business. She also hosts a podcast where she talks about issues important to people with disabilities.

In October 2020, Stephanie created and hosted an online event called "The Power of Personal Style." This event celebrated the 75th anniversary of Disability Employment Awareness Month and Dwarfism Awareness Month. Famous people like Jameela Jamil were speakers at the event.

Working with Lauren Spencer

Stephanie often works with Lauren "Lolo" Spencer. Lauren is an actor and an influencer who has ALS. She was nominated for an award in 2019. Lauren has modeled for Tommy Hilfiger's adaptive clothing line. Stephanie styled Lauren for the premiere of the movie Give Me Liberty at the Sundance Film Festival and for its screening at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019.

Awards and Recognition

In 2016, Stephanie gave a speech called "Dressing with Disabilities" at Canada's third-largest TEDx event. In 2018, her former school, Academy of Art University, honored her with a Distinguished Alumni Award. In 2019, the Business of Fashion website added Stephanie to its "BoF 500" list. This list includes 500 people who are making a big difference in the global fashion industry.

In 2020, Stephanie received an Ed Roberts Award. This award recognized her work as an expert in disability fashion styling. It also honored her as the founder and CEO of Cur8able, a company focused on fashion for people with disabilities.

See also

• Fashion in the United States