Open Style Lab (OSL), the disability-led, Smithsonian Design Award-winning nonprofit launches the outcomes of its first-ever UK Fellowship Programme this Thursday at the Zaha Hadid Foundation in London.

The programme brings together disabled experts, designers, engineers, and occupational therapists to co-create style-led, functional solutions with and by the disabled community.

Founded at MIT in 2014, OSL is changing the way people with disabilities are viewed and participate or lead the design process – to make a more accessible future. OSL does this through design education, research, and advocacy.

The organisation has previously worked with Macy’s, Steve Madden, Microsoft, LVMH, Eileen Fisher, Sony, Target, V&A, and Cooper Hewitt Museum.

Globally, 1.3 billion people live with a disability. Disability touches all of us at some point in our lives, whether from birth, through injury, or as part of aging. Its impact on daily life often depends not on the body itself but on whether environments and products are designed to be accessible. Yet most products and environments are still not designed to be accessible, and designing with people with disabilities are still not common practice in education!

Something as simple as footwear remains a major barrier. OSL’s research found that 47% of people with physical disabilities consider shoes the most challenging item of clothing to find and wear. This is not just about function, but about style, self-expression, and independence.

The design brief from this year’s programme focused on footwear. Over the past six weeks, fellows in both London and New York collaborated to develop the OSL Accessible Footwear Kit — practical tools and resources that give disabled people more agency over their footwear choices by enabling them to adapt and personalize their own shoes.

“Style is not a luxury — it is a right. Real, lasting change requires people with disabilities to be decision-makers and leaders across the creative industries,” says Yasmin Keats, Executive Director of Open Style Lab. “Through our fellowship program, we are tackling this from the ground up — equipping fellows with the skills, networks, and platforms to design the future we want to see.”

The OSL Fellowship is more than a design program: it is a space for inclusive making, creative empowerment, and cross-disciplinary collaboration. Fellows gain skills in design thinking, leadership, public speaking, disability theory, and hands-on prototyping, while building community across lived and professional experience.

OSL has already seen measurable impact: in its 2024 fellowship, 100% of fellows said they would recommend the program, 70% returned as mentors in 2025, and 30% changed career paths within six months of completion.

The London showcase will feature live demonstrations

Event details

📍 Zaha Hadid Foundation, London

📅 Thursday, 4 September 2025

⏰ 6–9pm (private showcase- please email Yasmin if you wish to attend as space is limited) | 2–4pm (public drop-in exhibit)