London Fashion Week 2017: Teatum Jones Showcases The Beauty Of Disabled Bodies

A moving homage to Paralympian Natasha Baker aka the 'Horse Whisperer'

People with disabilities don’t often get to see themselves reflected in fashion campaigns, but the Teatum Jones runway at London Fashion Week brought their physical beauty into the spotlight.

The label’s founders Catherine Teatum and Rob Jones featured two visibly disabled models on the runway at their ‘The Body Part Two’ show on Friday 15 September.

A moving video about Paralympian Natasha Baker, aka the ‘Horse Whisperer’, played in the background.

“Our goal with #thebody is to explore and breakdown the idea of us and them and to champion the idea that what we think of a ‘whole’ or ‘perfect’ is open to interpretation, deconstruction and ultimately reformation,” the designer duo wrote on Instagram.

Vicky Balch walks the runway at the Teatum Jones show during London Fashion Week on 15 September 2017
Vicky Balch walks the runway at the Teatum Jones show during London Fashion Week on 15 September 2017
Anthony Harvey/BFC via Getty Images

Model Vicky Balch lost her leg in 2015 when Alton Tower’s Smiler ride malfunctioned, leaving her and four others seriously injured.

The show was inspired by paralympian Baker, who has permanent nerve damage and weakness in her legs caused by transverse myelitis, a virus that damages the spine, which she contracted at the age of 14 months.

At the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games she won three gold medals in equestrian events.

She got her nickname the ‘Horse Whisperer’ through the way she communicates with her horse.

“I can’t use my legs at all when I ride so I have to talk to my horses to get them going,” she told the Daily Mirror.

“I can make the smallest of noises and they know what I want them to do.”

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Model Kelly Knox took to the runway for Teatum Jones for the second time and. she shared her love of the design duo ahead of the show.

“Kat and Rob are the most beautiful souls who truly believe in diversity,” she tweeted.

Model Kelly Knox on the Teatum Jones runway at London Fashion Week on 15 September 2017.
Model Kelly Knox on the Teatum Jones runway at London Fashion Week on 15 September 2017.
NIKLAS HALLE'N via Getty Images

The designers shared some of their inspiration on Instagram.

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Click through the gallery below to see all the looks from the Teatum Jones runway featuring oversized shirts, blouson sleeves and beautiful silks and sheer fabrics:

Teatum Jones Spring/Summer 2018

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