Finalists of the Design Academy Unveil Adaptive Fashion Creations at Berlin Fashion Week

The third edition of the Design Academy ran from April 2024 to January 2025, attracting nearly 50 participants from 20 countries. The 16-week educational programme was divided into two phases. During the initial eight weeks, participants received training from industry experts and representatives from the Disabled community on topics such as sustainability, branding, and business modeling, with a particular focus on inclusivity and accessibility in the programme’s third edition.

In the second phase, the 10 most outstanding designers were awarded scholarships for an eight-week ‘design sprint.’ During the sprint, the finalists worked closely with industry mentors and partnered with members of the Disabled community to co-create, advise on and influence the Adaptive fashion they created together. This collaboration gave the designers an opportunity to not only understand the practical challenges the disabled community faces but also to explore how fashion empowers personal expression. The resulting designs range from classics such as trench coats, black dresses, and winter vests for wheelchair users to lingerie and garments designed specifically for prosthesis users.

“At Zalando, our journey with Adaptive fashion has shown us the transformative power of collaborating with the Disabled community. By working closely with them, we gain invaluable insights into the challenges they face finding suitable clothing and footwear in mainstream collections, and how fashion helps empower their personal expression. Through initiatives like the Design Academy, we’re not only helping to bridge the gap in Adaptive fashion but also bringing the new generation of designers along on our mission to make the future of fashion more diverse and inclusive” . – Jemma Garner – Team Lead Product D&I Strategy at Zalando

“The Design Academy is one of our key Social Impact initiatives. Our aim with the programme is simple but ambitious, we want to empower designers with the right knowledge and tools to shape a more sustainable and inclusive future for fashion. Looking at the designers’ creations we are impressed and proud of the innovation and style they’ve brought within the category of Adaptive fashion.” – Daniel Enke – Director of Public Affairs and Social Impact at Zalando

“At VORN, we use pre-competitive collaboration to drive change. The Design Academy ADAPT proves that adaptive fashion shouldn’t be a separate category — it’s about making all fashion more inclusive. Co-creation with the Disabled community shows that user-centered design leads to real impact. Together, we push fashion toward a more inclusive, innovative, and sustainable future.” – Marte Hentschel – VORN CO-CEO

Learn more about the creative Adaptive solutions developed in the third edition of the Design Academy

The Design Academy showcase is part of Berlin Fashion Week. Find more information here. On Sunday February 2nd, the exhibition is open for visitation from 12:00 to 18:00 at VORN – The Berlin Fashion Hub in BIKINI BERLIN, Budapester Strasse 38-50, 10787. Visitors can additionally receive a tour guided by the designers, from 13:00 to 16:00. More information and the link for registration can be found here.

Design Academy

The Design Academy is one of Zalando’s Social Impact initiatives, aimed at using the power of community to foster innovation and transformation in the fashion industry.

Launched in 2022 as a pilot project with 10 designers, the programme has evolved significantly over the years. The second edition, which focused on sustainable design, expanded into a five-month programme involving 50 designers and culminated in a showcase at Berlin Fashion Week.

Meet the Finalists

The ten designers presenting their Adaptive creations at Berlin Fashion Week are:

• Alison Black (Scotland)
• Ann-Sophie Schaelicke (Germany)
• Boglárka Pitenyák (Hungary)
• Britta Knossalla (Germany)
• Carles López (Spain)
• Isabella Schuh (Germany)
• Madeleine Marquardt (Germany)
• Megan Hall (United Kingdom)
• Sebastián Kutzbach (Germany/Chile)
• Svitlana Volkova (Ukraine)

The programme is open for participation for freelance designers and designers from emerging and established brands based in Europe with at least one year on the market and a minimum of two collections.

What is Adaptive fashion

Adaptive Fashion is apparel made for people with permanent or temporary disabilities (such as limited mobility, limited dexterity or sensory sensitivity) that offers additional functionality to make dressing easier. There is a clear gap in the fashion market — finding fashionable Adaptive clothing still represents a challenge for disabled people. According to the World Health Organisation, more than 1 billion people worldwide live with disabilities, yet the fashion market still largely does not cater to their needs.
Since 2020, Zalando has been developing Adaptive collections through its Private Labels and partnerships with brands such as Tommy Hilfiger and the medical-technology company Ottobock  – to provide a truly inclusive experience for under-represented groups. The pieces are developed in close collaboration with the disabled community with the aim of contributing to solving their challenges and offer a varied selection of stylish and accessible items.