Lilac Review UK Launch Event
1st February 2024 at Lloyds Banking Group
We were excited to be invited to the launch of the Lilac Review by Small Business Britain and hosted by Lloyds Banking Group. This is a 2 year programme, which aims to break down barriers for disabled entrepreneurs in business. We heard a presentation about the review by Lloyds Banking Group and then from the Minister, followed by a panel discussion with 3 disabled founders led by, Michelle Ovens, Founder of Small Business Britain.
To learn more and get involved, follow the link The Lilac Review
Access My Events Speaks To My Voice Podcast Co Host On Modelling For The First Time
23rd December 2023
Listen on Spotify: Access My Events on modelling for the first time
National Asian Wedding Show Featured Disabled Model On The Catwalk For The First Time
1st December 2023
The Platinum Group, part of the National Asian Wedding Show made history by featuring a disabled model on the catwalk for the first time, and for our founder, Zubee it was a real privilege to be a part of that.
Zubee shares what the National Asian Wedding is about and what it meant to her to be part of the show. As someone who hasn't modelled before, Zubee was excited to be involved, representing disability on the catwalk and raising awareness in the fashion industry.
Zubee hopes her participation will encourage other event companies to consider making their events accessible and inclusive to deaf and disabled people and lead the way in making a change in the fashion world. We would love to see other event companies follow them and have disability represented in their shows.
The National Asian Wedding Show is Europe’s largest Asian wedding exhibition that takes place every year at different locations, held nationally. The show returned for it’s 18th year on Sunday the 26th of November 2023, at the Novotel London West, Hammersmith. This was an event not to be missed!
The show had a large number of wedding exhibitors and suppliers showcasing their products and services with inspirational ideas, to help you make your special day memorable. Alongside that, the event hosted a stunning catwalk show that featured the latest in Asian fashion trends.
It was a real privilege for Zubee to be the first disabled person to model in an Asian Wedding catwalk show, to represent disability in the fashion industry and to raise awareness. This was a huge step for the organisers to include a disabled model. To prepare for the big day, we attended rehearsals and outfit fittings on Friday 24th November. It was great for us to meet with the team and to see the work that goes on in front and behind the scenes.
For Zubee the fit and length of a garment can be tricky when looking for something to wear, whether that’s in Western or Asian clothes and she knows sourcing a suitable outfit was going to be a challenge for Manny's team as it was their first time having a disabled person model. With bridal wear especially, garments tend to be very long and a lot of designers don't cater for disabled people but Zubee was excited to see what the team had come up with for her specific needs and requirements. When she heard that they had managed to source her an outfit she couldn’t wait to see it and try it on. Zubee said, "I have always wanted to wear a bridal outfit just to see what it would look like and I never thought it would be possible because of how long and big they are."
Zubee loved the experience of being able to model for the first time even though she was nervous because she didn’t know how the audience would react but once she was out on the runway, the sound of the audience applause, the lighting and the cameras down the catwalk just made Zubee feel amazing and she couldn’t believe she was modelling in a designer’s wedding outfit. Zubee would like to thank Reena, the designer of the outfit she wore and giving her the opportunity to walk for Pannaz Boutique.
We feel the show has led the way to making a change in the fashion industry and getting conversations going as we’ve seen by the reactions and comments across our social media. Zubee would like to say a huge thank you to Manny and his wonderful team for giving us this amazing opportunity and for their help and support in making her look and feel amazing. Zubee said, "I don't usually like to put makeup on unless it's necessary and going down the catwalk with my hair and make-up done was out of my comfort zone because I'm very self-conscious, but doing this gave me a boost in my confidence."
Zubee wore a beautifully styled red blouse and skirt (Lengha) with golden embroidery and a matching scarf (dupatta). The skirt Zubee wore had to be pinned up quite a lot from the bottom so she was able to walk in it comfortably and not trip over as it was a bit heavy and she was worried it wouldn’t work. The dupatta also had to be pinned up in a way to make it easy for her. The team did a really good job in making sure it worked for Zubee on her crutches.
Outfit by Pannaz Botique
Hair and Makeup by Geet Soni Academy
Jewellery by Aartist Jewellery
Styled by Mirza Miah & Shiv Rura
Photography by ELREM Foundation
As organisers of one of the most anticipated Asian wedding shows in the UK, Platinum Group took a ground-breaking step towards inclusivity in the fashion world. In a move that underscores our commitment to celebrating diversity, we are thrilled to have had the opportunity to work with Access My Events founder, Zubee Kibria who walked the catwalk at The National Asian Wedding Show on Sunday 26th November at Novotel London West, Hammersmith.
The fashion industry has long been associated with conventional standards of beauty, but we believe it’s time for a change. By featuring disabled models, we are making a statement that beauty transcends physical abilities and that everyone deserves to feel glamorous and confident. We want to redefine beauty standards and challenge preconceived notions.
Our decision to include a disabled model on the catwalk is not merely about making a statement; it’s about genuine representation. We firmly believe that everyone should be able to see themselves in the fashion world, and this move is a step towards making that vision a reality, Manny, Founder of the Platinum Group.
After the show, it was lovely to hear a compliment from a member of the public and to see so many more lovely comments on social media, which Zubee has been really touched by, with some making her a bit emotional just reading them. We have included a few of them below.
We were super proud to be a part of history being created. A huge congratulations to Manny and the team at Platinum Group for pushing the boundaries by showcasing a disabled model on the fashion runway. We are proud sponsors of Europe's largest Asian Wedding Show.
Game changing moment for the industry – well done for leading the way.
Love this! Amazing work and also such a beautiful model
What is the name of the model? She’s gorgeous and should be tagged and celebrated!
Wow! What a heartwarming moment to witness she’s beautiful from the inside and out, giving a chance to all women to showcase their beauty on the runway, is truly inspiring.
My eyes filled up as she was passing the stage.
Amazing motivation for a lot of us. Thank you for breaking these barriers and giving people like us hope and not to give up.
Love this. We need more of it!
Love this. Thank you for breaking down norms and bringing in diversity in this industry which has been neglected for the longest time ever.
Zubee said, "I can't help but feel like a celebrity after all the attention the posts shared have been getting on social media and the level of engagement and awareness getting out there." 😃
If you are a company interested in making your events accessible, please get in touch with us to find out more!
To see some more photos and videos from the show, please go to the gallery section of our website and visit our Instagram page.
We are already looking forward to next year’s show. To find out more about their upcoming events, please visit the National Asian Wedding Show Website.
National Asian Wedding Show 2023
26th November 2023 Novotel London West Hammersmith
The National Asian Wedding Show is Europe’s largest Asian wedding exhibition that takes place every year at different locations, held nationally. The show returned for it’s 18th year on Sunday the 26th of November 2023, at the Novotel London, Hammersmith. This was an event not to be missed!
The show had a large number of wedding exhibitors and suppliers showcasing their products and services with inspirational ideas, to help you make your special day memorable. The event hosted a stunning catwalk show that featured the latest in Asian fashion trends.
Our founder, Zubee was excited to be part of this amazing show and to model for the first time. Through Access My Events, the aim is to make events accessible and inclusive as possible to disabled people, and being part of this show was a groundbreaking step forward in breaking down barriers in the fashion industry. It was the first that an Asian wedding show featured a disabled person as one of their models.
It was great for us to see all the work that goes on in front and behind the scenes to put on a show of this scale. We would like to thank Manny and his wonderful team for giving us the opportunity to raise awareness of disability and to show that disabled people can look and feel as glamorous as non-disabled people. Zubee would like to thank everyone behind the scenes for their help and support in making her look and feel amazing!
We hope that our participation will encourage other event companies to consider using our services to make their events accessible and inclusive to the disabled community and use disabled people to model in their shows.
Head over to our Instagram page to see some videos and behind the scenes footage.
We are looking forward to next year's show. For upcoming shows, please visit the National Asian Wedding Show Website.
National Asian Wedding Show Backstage
26th November 2023
This video shows the incredible work that went on behind the scenes with back-to-back changes for the models, done with precision and urgency as the transformations happened from one outfit to another. Wardrobe assistants, stylists and makeup artists worked in synchronised chaos to execute flawless transitions with meticulous timings as each model took to the runway. We really hope other event organisers see this and consider using disabled people in their fashion shows.
National Asian Wedding Show
The National Asian Wedding Show is Europe’s largest Asian wedding exhibition that takes place every year at different locations, held nationally.
The show has a large number of wedding exhibitors and suppliers showcasing their products and services with inspirational ideas, to help you make your special day memorable. The event hosts a stunning catwalk show that features the latest in Asian fashion trends.
Small Business Sunday Winner
24th July 2023
Small Business Sunday is one of the leading business networks in the UK, founded by Dragons Den star, Theo Paphitis in 2010. It’s an amazing opportunity for businesses to gain exposure and connect with other business owners through Theo’s large social media following, including all the winners getting an invite to the SBS annual networking event, which we're really looking forward to next year.
Our founder Zubee shares what the SBS community is about, how you can enter, and what it means for us to be one of the 6 lucky winners chosen by Theo and his team.
Wow! Access My Events is delighted and honoured to be a Small Business Sunday winner. (#SBS). Zubee says, "I couldn't believe I was chosen to be part of this amazing network."🙂
Zubee didn't even know this existed until she saw a post on LinkedIn from one of the previous winners. After reading the post, it sounded like a really exciting opportunity that we had to enter and we were not expecting to win. On the 24th of July, Access My Events put a post out on Twitter and tweeted Theo about our business during Small Business Sunday. It was a huge surprise when we saw that we were one of 6 lucky winners to be chosen and get retweeted by Theo, to over half a million of his Twitter followers.
During the announcement on Monday, our Twitter feed went crazy as our follower numbers went from 187 to 196, and has now reached over 200 followers. We are also profiled on the #SBS website (www.theopaphitissbs.com), which is exclusive to all Small Business Sunday winners.
As the saying goes, we were second time lucky and as Theo says, if you don't get chosen, don't give up, keep entering each week as you never know when your chance will come, and be resilient as that's what entrepreneurship is all about. It has given us such a boost and it will help to raise awareness of our brand even further and expand our network so we can continue making a difference for deaf and disabled people accessing events.
Zubee says, "I would like to say a huge, thank you to Theo and his team for this amazing opportunity. I have had many challenges and setbacks to get my business going. To receive this recognition and have the support from Theo to help spread the word to his followers has really motivated and inspired me to keep perusing my business goals."
If you are a business that would like to be in with a chance of winning, here's how you can enter. It's FREE. Businesses have to write and create a post on Twitter or Instagram, that shows your personality and include a bit about your business, using #SBS and following @TheoPaphitis. It’s run on a weekly basis every Sunday. Entries need to be posted between 5pm and 7.30pm. Theo chooses his favourite 6 businesses and announces the winners on Monday at 8pm. To find out more, follow the link Home | www.theopaphitissbs.com.
Here are some lovely comments we received.
Congrats on your win! Welcome to the #SBS family! Love this idea!
Sounds like a really worthwhile business, Zubee - I used to manage a charity organising social events for adults with disabilities. Everybody wants to go out, mingle and have fun - let's make it easier and possible!
What you do is so incredible! I look forward to learning more!
We look forward to learning more and networking with other businesses and like-minded individuals who are part of this amazing community.
To follow our #SBS journey, please keep an eye on our blog and connect with us across our social media channels for the latest news and updates.
The Disability Expo 2023
6th & 7th July 2023 at Excel London
Access My Events was delighted to be an Access Partner with the Disability Expo, and for giving us the opportunity to exhibit for the first time.
This was a two-day event dedicated to people with lived experience of disability. They had over 200 exhibitors showcasing their products and services to help disabled people live independently, including guest speakers and entertainment.
As a new business, this has given us a great platform to raise our brand awareness and network with other organisations. (As our logo tagline says, bringing businesses and disabled people together, the event did just that). 😊
It was great to finally meet people in person who we had connected with online a while ago. We are looking forward to the Disability Expo 2024.
We would like to thank everyone who has and continues to support Access My Events on our journey and we look forward to working with businesses and making a difference for deaf and disabled people accessing events.
My Voice Podcast - Disabled Women Belonging In Two Cultures
10th June 2023
In September last year our founder, Zubee and her friend and ex-colleague, Raya launched a new podcast called, My Voice, to give disabled people from ethnic minority backgrounds a platform to share their stories as these voices are often underrepresented. In our latest episode, we welcome our second guest, Anjum Khan.
Anjum has Cerebral Palsy and is partially sighted. She has a degree in Sociology and Social Policy. She is a British Indian, born and bred in Fulham, London. Her parents married and came to the UK in the early '70s.
In this episode, hosts Zubee and Raya Al Jadir, speak to Anjum about a sense of belonging and the differences between our parent's attitudes and experiences of disability, plus the opportunities we've had that we may not get back home.
We reflect on the journey through the education system, entering the workplace and our lives in general, as well as highlighting the many positivities while acknowledging the challenges and barriers we encounter.
Listen now on Spotify https://lnkd.in/ebp_tMGd
You can follow Anjum on Instagram at Instagram
Join in the conversation on Twitter by following #MyVoicePod
Disability Expo
Disability Expo is an attendee-focused two-day event, putting the ‘I’ in disability. Timed for the beginning of Disability Pride Month, it is Europe’s largest event for Disabled People, by Disabled People.
We are passionate about providing a platform that sees each person as an individual rather than a consumer or service user, and involves all parties to source the most suitable solution to meet their unique needs and objectives.