Rethinking Fashion as Access: Nancy Volpe Barringer on Adaptive Design and DignityThis episode of Iterations explores how designer Nancy Volpe Beringer reframes fashion as access, dignity, and independence. Beringer describes her graduate experience at Drexel, the demanding critiques that shaped her, and how physical challenges deepened her sensitivity to exclusion in fashion. She discusses centering underrepresented communities through runway shows and creating The Vault by Volpe Beringer, a luxury designer resale shop offering complimentary adaptive customizations. The episode also traces adaptive clothing to 1950s “Functional Fashions” and highlights Beringer’s view that adaptable construction choices can broaden who garments are made for.