When April Lockhart packed her bags for Nashville four years ago, she thought it would be a temporary move. “It was a total COVID move—just looking for a change of pace,” she recalls. “I was working remotely in New York City in influencer marketing for a clean makeup brand. We were originally planning to move to the West Coast, but thought, maybe we should try Nashville instead. We got an Airbnb for a month—and we never left. It just felt like home right away.”
It didn’t take long for her to understand why. “It’s been so easy to find friends and community in Nashville. People are genuinely kind and willing to help,” she says. “And since there are so many transplants, everyone sort of shares that same newness—it’s easy to connect.”
Before becoming known for her confident, fashion-forward presence online, April worked behind the scenes in beauty marketing. “I went to school for marketing, and being a content creator was never part of the plan,” she says. “But I’ve always loved sharing on the internet—it’s just how I’ve expressed myself.”
In 2022, April decided to take a leap that would transform everything. After years of posting fashion content while keeping her limb difference off-camera, she began a 30-day outfit challenge called Normalizing Disabled Fashion Girlies. “I pressed post and didn’t look at it for a day,” she remembers. “The next morning, the video had around 30,000 views—and 50,000 the next day. That was the turning point for me.”April's style ranges from preppy with an edge to polished 70s flair. She loves leather, studs and color, and she has woven her love of music and a theme into her wardrobe.
The video opened a door she hadn’t realized was waiting for her. “People started messaging me saying they’d never seen anyone with a limb difference embrace fashion that way,” she says. “That’s when I understood how powerful it could be just to show up as myself.”
Since that first viral moment, April’s influence has extended far beyond her feed. She’s modeled for major brands like Victoria’s Secret and Anthropologie, appeared in publications such as Vogue and The Cut, and in 2025, was recognized on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list. Through it all, her mission has remained clear: to create spaces where people with disabilities feel celebrated, seen, and stylish.
That mission now lives through Disabled&, a community she founded this year to connect and empower disabled creatives. “It really came from a deep desire for community,” she explains. “For so long, I knew so many people with disabilities online, but I had never been around them in person. I wanted to change that.”
The idea crystallized after she walked in Victoria’s Secret’s adaptive runway show during New York Fashion Week. “You walk into a room where everyone looks different, and no one looks at you differently,” she says. “It was the most fulfilling experience—and I knew I wanted more of that feeling.”
Disabled& was built to capture that sense of belonging and creative energy. Through events, dinners and collaborations, April is redefining what representation looks like—bringing together artists, entrepreneurs and visionaries who share a lived experience. “We’re hosting a Friendsgiving dinner in November, a kids’ event in December, and next spring, our first-ever retreat here in Nashville,” she says. “It’s all about creating moments where people can connect and dream together.”
Each Disabled& gathering centers around conversation, collaboration, and celebration. “It’s a reminder that disability isn’t just an identity—it’s also a source of creativity, style and power,” April says. “The people I meet through Disabled& are some of the most driven and inspiring individuals I’ve ever known.”
Her journey—from sharing fashion posts online to building an international platform for inclusion—has not only reshaped her career but also her confidence. “I’m so much more comfortable in my own skin now, inside and out,” she reflects. “It’s taken time, but I really feel at peace with myself—and excited to keep building spaces where everyone belongs.”
April's Nashville Favorites
When she's not hosting Disabled& events or working on a new video, April Lockhart enjoys exploring Nashville's creative side. "I walk to Osa every day for coffee—it's my little ritual," she says. April also loves Forevermore for coffee and their curated selection of sustainable gifts. For dinner, she loves the cozy charm of Margot Café & Bar and the reminder of her time in New York at the new Pastis location. While Black Shag, Thrift Smart and Southern Thrift are her go-tos for vintage finds.
“Walking the runway for Victoria’s Secret’s adaptive collection was the first time I’d been surrounded by so many people with disabilities. I walked into a room where everyone looked different, so no one looked at me differently. I left thinking, ‘Wow, this is so fulfilling, and I want more of this.’”