This Philly fashion show features haute couture and the strengths of autism

When his show ends and the house lights come on Saturday night at The Mansion at Hill Top Preparatory School, producer Kyle Woodland wants to see a delighted audience discussing the striking fashion visions of the featured local designers. What he doesn’t want is the audience focusing on his differences.

For the 26-year-old autistic owner of the KWS Productions, a fashion entertainment company, that’s the ultimate win. Woodland, a model, was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) when he was 2 and has spent years working to ensure that neurodiversity would not be a barrier to success.

“Once you have autism there’s no getting rid of it, so you work to make it an advantage,” Woodland said.

“I was behind from the jump,” said Woodland, who grew up in Media. “I knew I was in for an uphill battle.”

One of the many specialists he saw told his parents to lower their expectations. “I was about four and a half or five. Some doctor told my parents not to expect me to have normal ways. I can remember that.”

Woodland’s development was very different than other children, especially the slow way his speech developed. “I felt different … Kids are, by nature, cruel. Back then they were not as cautious with words.”

» READ MORE: Philly parents call for a public school that would be devoted to autistic kids

Elementary school was particularly painful. “I wanted to be a better reader and writer and not be embarrassed. That bothered me so much that I worked that hard.” What Woodland said that meant is he read the dictionary obsessively, worrying his parents with his intensity. But by fifth grade he was reading on a 12th grade level.

“I was determined to be better. People doubted me so much,” Woodland said.

Woodland’s desire for companionship was harder to conquer. “I struggled with the social stigma and felt lonely. I wanted to have friends but they weren’t accepting the autistic me. My dad worried because I was so depressed.”

Sports offered Woodland some relief from his troubles, especially soccer, where he excelled. He made it to the semipro level before the pandemic hit.

“Late in 2020, there’s COVID and nobody was able to play. I broke up with my girlfriend and I was alone. I thought I had to get into something.”

With his athletic build, that something proved to be modeling.

The fashion industry has not been known for diversity and inclusion. It was only a decade ago the first model with Down syndrome walked at New York Fashion Week. But designers are beginning to get noticed as “disrupters” for their nontraditional approaches, including casting models with disabilities.

» READ MORE: Local designers put glam in adaptive wear

Woodland started KWS Productions to help change stereotypes of the neurodivergent, and picked Hill Top in Bryn Mawr, which works with students with learning challenges, because for him, it was a lifesaver.

“When I transitioned to Hill Top I found I was actually enjoying myself fully,” Woodland said.

April is World Autism Month and one in 36 children is identified as being on the spectrum. In Pennsylvania, 4.5% of children have an ASD diagnosis with the average age at diagnosis being about 5 years old.

More than 95% of those with that diagnosis graduate with a regular diploma.

» READ MORE: How a wrestler with autism from Bucks County helped Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson get ready for WrestleMania

ASD affects each person differently, meaning that they have unique strengths, challenges, and treatment needs, but their neurodiversity means they will likely face prejudice and stigma.

“When you are younger it is difficult, more challenging,” Woodland admitted, but he believes that his autism is the source of his creativity and the bullying that came with his social challenges the source of his resilience.

“When you are autistic you feel things deeper. You’re more sensitive than a person who is not autistic,” he said.

Not every one agrees with Woodland. Karen Cox, the fashion show’s public relations consultant, has two sons with ASD and has been a substitute teacher in special needs classrooms.

» READ MORE: Rowan College of South Jersey has a new one-stop shop for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities

She said she understands the challenges, and bristles at calling autism an asset.

“It is a struggle, and at every age it is a struggle,” she said.

Now, Woodland is also using his platform to give youth with autism a sense of what’s possible.

Part of Saturday night’s proceeds will go to Hill Top’s Employability and Transition program, and prom wear sold by the students in the program will be included in the show.

Hill Top’s head of school, Kevin Mayne, said, “The fashion show fits in perfectly with the work our students do in our Employability and Transition program. They recently conducted their third Annual Prom Dress Sale, helping area teens have access to dresses.”

The fashion show will be held Saturday. It starts at 7 p.m. but doors open at 6 p.m. in The Mansion on Hill Top’s campus at 737 S. Ithan Ave. in Bryn Mawr.

Featured designers include O’Livis Couture, HerberTT Dash Haberdashery Boutique by James Vaughan, The Dress Matters Couture Bridal Boutique, Madiare K. Design, and Kyaura Amour Couture. Tickets start at $55.