AUT student joins Rihanna, Lizzo on InStyle mag's list of badass women

Grace Stratton launched All Is for All, a site featuring clothing and accessories presented in an accessible way for people with disabilities. Photo / Marissa Findlay

AUT student Grace Stratton has made Instyle Magazine's annual list of "Badass" women, which recognises females leading the way to a better world.

Stratton has been recognised alongside names like Mindy Kaling, Anne Hathaway, Lizzo and Rihanna, reports Newstalk ZB.

In March, the 20-year-old launched All Is for All, a speciality e-commerce site featuring clothing and accessories presented in an accessible way for people with disabilities.

She told Newstalk ZB's Kerre McIvor Mornings she'd used a wheelchair since being diagnosed with cerebral palsy at the age of one.

The idea for the website stemmed from her lifelong passion for fashion.

"I recognised that when I would buy things online, they would come to my door and there would be an extra clasp or an extra tag or something that would mean I couldn't get the garment on myself," Stratton explained.

However, she found that those things would never be explained on the website.

Stratton spotted an opportunity to improve online shopping for people with disabilities.

Her goal is to turn the website into a larger movement, to create a disability-inclusive culture.

Two of the website's models, in Kiwi brand Zambesi. Photo / Madeleine Brighouse

"In New Zealand, a quarter of our population identifies with having an access need," says Stratton.

The definition ranges from someone who is a wheelchair user to someone who is neuro-diverse (cognitive intellectual disabilities).

Stratton believes: "We can use fashion as a way of discussing how we can create an equal culture for people with disabilities."

The company has found Kiwi designers very willing to collaborate, she says.

Stratton thinks although New Zealand is making good progress with accessibility tangibly, the focus must be put on the attitudes of individuals and workplaces.