On the night of this past Wednesday, October 26th, Costa Rica had its first inclusive catwalk, where a collection of adapted clothing created by the Costa Rican Tourism Network was presented.
This clothing line called “La Inspiración” was born as a proposal for 18.2% of the Costa Rican population that lives with disabilities, and that did not have clothes that would provide them with well-being, belonging, confidence, self-esteem, comfort and health.
“We all have the right to dress and feel good. For this reason, the collection was divided into wheelchair users, people with cerebral palsy and ataxic cerebral palsy, all with the aim of making them feel comfortable enjoying outdoor activities while doing tourism”, explained Emilio Zúñiga, president of the Accessible Tourism Network.
This first collection took a year and a half in design, implementation and testing processes. As a result, 13 garments were created that will soon be offered to tourists who use wheelchairs or have other special needs.
A footbridge declared of tourist interest
The initiative was supported by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT), which declared the “Inclusive Catwalk” event to be of Tourist Interest. Likewise, the clothing collection and the Armarium store-workshop in Escazú were integrated into the institute’s “Handicrafts with identity” program.
In addition to presenting the clothing collection, the catwalk also had the objective of raising funds to provide clothing and equipment to people with disabilities and low-income people.
“This is Costa Rica’s first step towards a more equal and inclusive life for future generations of people with disabilities,” said Samantha Bullock, Paralympic athlete and human rights activist.
