James LeBrecht in his custom Gucci suit, accompanied by Nicole Newnham and Sara Bolder
James LeBrecht in his custom Gucci suit, accompanied by Nicole Newnham and Sara Bolder
James LeBrecht, co-director of Oscar nominated documentary, Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution wowed on the red carpet at this year's Academy Awards. Instead of wearing a usual black tux, he wore a custom-made navy-blue Gucci ensemble with a black and ivory flower print shift.
While it is expected for Oscarnominees to walk the red carpet in a custom suit, this is unique for LeBrecht. Not only was Crip Camp: A disability Revolution made on a small budget leaving little room for expensive red-carpet looks, but LeBrecht also has spina bifida and is reliant on a wheelchair to get around.
LeBrecht spoke to Variety about how the snazzy suit came about. A colleague said: "you know, Jim, if we could find a fashion house that wants to dress you, it's a real important statement." LeBrecht then met with Gucci to see what they could come up with and tonight's fierce suit is the result.
Expanding on the significance of someone with a disability wearing a custom high-fashion fit on a red carpet, LeBrecht told Datebook: "it tells them that the doors are open, that it is not out of the realm of possibility that anyone with a disability could be on the red carpet in a wheelchair with a walker, with their guide dog.
"It's an important statement for accepting people for who they are and not what they look like."
LeBrecht's film, Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution, co-produced by Nicole Newnham also brings much-needed disability awareness to this year's Academy Awards. The documentary centres on a summer camp for disabled youth that LeBrecht attended in his youth, but the main focus of this important film is the struggle to pass the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990).
It has already won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival as well as being named best feature by the International Documentary Association.
A consistent lack of diversity at the Oscars over the years has led to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences agreeing to implement new diversity and inclusion standards in the future. The changes will come into effect in 2024.
