A student and model from Stockport is taking part in an upcoming fashion show in Manchester which has been described as the most inclusive the city has ever staged.

Maya Wijayasiri, 20, is the youngest of 16 models taking part in the show, which focuses on disability pride.

Maya, from Mellor, has had a stoma bag since 2024 as a result of inflammatory bowel disease.

She is calling for better representation of visible differences ahead of the show.

Aged from 20-57, every model who will travel the runway at the Disability Pride Catwalk at Aviva Studios, home of Factory International, is disabled, neurodivergent or chronically ill. All will wear adaptive fashion designs from a young, ambitious Manchester label called RECONDITION.

Maya, from Mellor, signed up for the event after seeing an open casting call on Instagram. She said she thought it was "super important to have as much representation as possible when it comes to visible differences and disability."

The University of Cambridge student, who grew up in Berlin before moving to the village of Mellor aged 11, said that she has lived with a stoma bag since 2024 as a result of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)

"Two years ago, I needed emergency surgery after IBD caused a perforation in my colon," she said. "I've had a stoma bag since then."

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Maya, who studies modern and Medieval languages, says that the lack of representation of different bodies can make her feel isolated from mainstream fashion.

"It's so important to see people similar to you celebrated in the public eye," she said, "and I find that it's quite rare to see people with stomas and scarring other than in a medical context. I want to walk the runway to be part of that positive representation."

"I also thought it would be really good for me on a personal level to celebrate my body in such an inclusive and safe environment. I am really keen to meet other people with similar lived experience to me."

A stoma is a surgically created opening on the abdomen that connects your digestive system to the outside of your body. It is estimated that around one in 335 people in the UK have one, as a result of conditions including IBD, endometriosis and cancer.

Every garment in RECONDITION's denim-centred collection, has been designed with and for disabled people. Adaptations built into the inclusive designs include front pockets on jeans for wheelchair users, ring pull zips for people with reduced dexterity and sleeves with poppers along their full length to help accommodate prosthetic limbs or medical equipment from feeding tubes to insulin pumps.

Maya is a fan of the brand's first product launch, which was stylish stoma pouch covers, available in nine prints including camo, paisley and hot pink.

"I think it's lovely when medical devices are decorated and I think pretty stoma bag covers are so cool," she said. "Turning a medical device into an accessory is really beneficial for your mental health."

RECONDITION was launched in 2025 by Manchester Metropolitan University fashion graduate Ellie Brown. Ellie's eyes were opened to how unaccommodating fashion can be in 2021, when she badly broke her ankle, which resulted in her using a wheelchair for several months.

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Ellie said: "The Disability Pride Catwalk is a safe space for people to celebrate bodies of all kinds whilst enjoying the atmosphere and experience of a runway show.

"I also hope the event will provoke useful discussions about how fashion - and society as a whole - can take more accountability for inclusivity."

Research from disability charity Leonard Cheshire found that mainstream fashion in the UK does not meet the needs of three quarters of disabled people.

According to government figures, a quarter of people in the UK have a disability - that's 16.8m people. And in state pension aged people, the figure rises to almost half (45%).

The Disability Pride Catwalk takes place at Aviva Studios on Saturday 27 June 2026 ahead of Disability Awareness Month. Tickets are free.