06:30, 31 July 2025
Words by Cheyanne Bryan, Editorial and Campaign Marketing Executive, London
TV presenter, disability advocate and entrepreneur Sophie Morgan has partnered with Primark to unveil a new seated mannequin designed to represent wheelchair users, a move hailed as a major step forward for representation on the high street.
Sophie Morgan told Smiley News: “Wheelchair representation in fashion specifically is a dream I’ve had for 15 years, and so this feels like a huge milestone. The Sophie is a first-of-her-kind mannequin, designed with conscious and thoughtful details, such as including broader shoulders and defined upper body musculature to show the strength developed through manual wheelchair use, and atrophied legs to mirror those with paraplegia.
“Representation in this way shows we’re included and invited to enjoy fashion and have our say, and that’s invaluable.”
The mannequin, which is being rolled out in 20 Primark stores across nine markets – including Oxford Street, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds – marks the first time the retailer has featured a mannequin seated in a wheelchair as part of its visual displays.
It will be used to showcase items from Primark’s adaptive clothing range, the first permanent high street fashion collection for disabled men and women.
Primark has stated it plans to expand the rollout over time, aiming to better reflect the vast diversity of its customer base in stores across the UK and beyond.
Sophie reminisced about her journey to getting to this point: “Fifteen years ago, I was graduating from art school and still figuring out life as a paraplegic following a car crash on the day I finished my A-Levels. I was brimming with ideas about how to reshape a new world that wasn’t designed for me and my wheelchair.”
Sophie continued: “I hope fashion follows Primark’s trend – embracing all body types and showing us through representation (and more) that we’re just as welcome and wanted to be part of the industry as any one else.”
This project has been 12 months in the making, but it’s a milestone Sophie has been working towards for much longer. Back in 2009, she launched the Mannequal™, a prototype wheelchair for mannequins that sparked a conversation around inclusion in fashion. Now, more than a decade later, that vision is coming to life in Primark’s shop windows.
In line with Primark’s commitment to accessibility, the seated mannequin joins a growing collection of inclusive visual tools, including fuller-figure mannequins and diverse skin tones across lingerie and nightwear displays.
Named ‘Sophie’ in tribute to Sophie Morgan, the new mannequin has been carefully developed in collaboration with her, with Sophie providing mood boards, body dimensions, feedback on 3D models and even visiting the factory for final approvals.
Sophie shared her pride on social media, describing the mannequin as “a dream realised” and a “landmark moment” in changing how disabled people are seen – and styled – on the high street.
Amanda Britton, Head of Visual Merchandising at Primark told us: “Our goal wasn’t just to create a mannequin or a stylised abstraction of disability. It was to achieve realism, authenticity, and ultimately, pride. Working with Sophie has taught us so much and ensured we made decisions based on facts and a deeper understanding from Sophie’s lived experience and point of view.
“We've learned from the disabled community that representation is so important, and although we regularly work with disabled models, we wanted to go further as part of our commitment to making Primark a more accessible place to work and shop. We're so proud to bring the 'Sophie' to our stores, and hope to inspire other retailers with this."
Primark has stated it plans to expand the rollout over time, aiming to better reflect the vast diversity of its customer base in stores across the UK and beyond.
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
The Conscious Travel Foundation. This is a non-profit membership community that promotes meaningful, positive impact travel. Find out more.
Rights on Flights. This is a campaign founded by Sophie Morgan, Maayan Ziv, Josh Wood, Chris Wood MBE and Roberto Castiglioni MBE to combat accessibility and safety barriers for travellers with disabilities. Learn more here.
Disability Rights UK. This is the UK’s leading Disabled People's Organisation (DPO) led by, run by, and working for Disabled people. Support them here.
Images used are credit to: Reece Siberini / reecesiberini.com.
