Low Fashion Consciousness Among Autistic People and Shared Perceptions of Fashion Stigma in an Autistic–Non-Autistic Cohort

The fashion industry has a long history of excluding minority groups. This includes autistic people who often have varied sensory experiences of the world which would make them ready consumers if only their needs were considered. Still, even with disability scholar and activist calls to action and public discussion about the importance of clothing accessibility, an examination of public discourse, the academic literature, and more pointedly the consumer landscape shows that clothing manufacturers and designers are not paying attention to those on the autism spectrum. Those on the spectrum did not differ in fashion consciousness relative to the non-autistic volunteers. They did, however, although there is evidence of shared perceptions of industry stigma, perceive greater industry-related stigma than their non-autistic peers. Results are discussed in context of inclusive clothing design and manufacturing.