Moray Luke: Championing Equality Through Law
From acclaimed bag designer to legal advocate. Discover Moray Luke's fight for financial accessibility has brought her full circle; back to the law to challenge systemic barriers.
My name is Moray Luke. You might know me as a designer, famous for my fish leather bags. But the truth is, I was actually destined for the legal world. I come from a family of legal professionals; my dream was to be a barrister, specialising in litigating cases that enforce the Equality Act 2010.
Life, however, took an unexpected turn. After living in Venice Beach, a chance encounter with an actress pushed me to pursue my bag dream. Thanks to that, a handbag I never thought would see the light of day ended up on Paris Fashion Week runways, at incredible parties, and in multiple BBC studios. My business was just a few months old when I appeared in front of the Dragons on Dragons' Den. I was truly at the start of my career, and immediately began working to make my own systems accessible so I could actually do my job.
My entrepreneurial journey after working with Touker from Dragons' Den was a whirlwind. As a young entrepreneur, I knew I needed to grow. I spent time studying filmmaking at BBC studios on a bursary, creating fashion films and learning how to tell more stories than just through handbags. It was during this period that I also started engaging in activism, understanding that earning money means also being able to manage and protect it. I've been setting up accessible systems with HMRC, Companies House, and even advocating for better accessibility on the Tube.
It was whilst fighting for the systems I knew I needed to keep my business running that I truly stepped deeper into activism. I live with a learning disability that impacts every part of my life, especially maths. As someone with a high-functioning brain injury, dyspraxia, and dyscalculia, creating things requires significant support. I quickly realized that navigating financial systems, in particular, was uniquely challenging. The world is only just starting to wake up to the true need for genuine accessibility.
My family may be legal professionals, but my talent for fashion is pure nature. Still, a businesswoman carries many bags, and my personal journey soon exposed a systemic problem. While some might dismiss disabilities as a 'trend,' they forget that most of us will experience disability at some point. My own brain injury occurred in 2002, before I was even seven years old eight years before the Equality Act came into force. This means I simply cannot do my job without real accessibility provisions. The Equality Act 2010 makes discrimination illegal, requiring 'reasonable adjustments' so we aren't placed at a substantial disadvantage.
One of the hardest areas for people with learning disabilities is banking. Despite their huge profits, banks often provide shockingly poor service. Over 6,400 branches have closed in the UK since 2015, pushing vulnerable groups into a stark digital divide. England alone has 41 'banking deserts.' According to new calculations from Positive Money, Britain's biggest four banks are on track to report £52.4 billion in pre-tax profits by the end of 2025, representing a 14% increase on their record-breaking £45.9 billion made in 2024 (figures courtesy of Statista).
Now, this journey has taken an unexpected but necessary path: learning the law myself. My fight for financial justice demands upholding the integrity of any legal process. Therefore, while I share my journey and the systemic issues I'm confronting, I must be clear: I will not discuss specific case details, the financial institution involved, or the names of their lawyers. My focus remains firmly on the broader principles of accessibility, equality, and public accountability. I won't speak about contested evidence or its interpretation while the Court decides.
This summer, I was meant to be making my first film based on sustainable fashion. Instead, I find myself confronting the same inaccessible systems due to ineffective banking policies. I've filmed a documentary about disability, because it affects over 24% of the UK population. It’s not a niche issue; it’s a universal human experience.
The Equality Act is powerful. It asks: what truly constitutes an 'unjustifiable burden'? While open dialogue and well-intentioned accessibility policies are important, a legal challenge is often the only way to hold institutions accountable; a path many disabled people lack the resources to take. This became acutely clear when an institution’s representative indicated their client would be 'willing to adopt a neutral position... as long as the adjustments you ask from the Court are reasonable and do not place too large a burden on our client.' That statement underscored the core problem. I can't call it ableist, but it certainly stirred a feeling of prejudice.
Ironically, despite my early dreams of being a barrister specialising in the Equality Act, my work with my bag brand has now forced me to learn law regardless. This unexpected dive into legal complexities has become deeply imperative. It’s about ensuring the playing field is more equal for disabled entrepreneurs - that we all have genuine access to the systems, particularly financial ones, that make entrepreneurship possible.
My presence in Court is precisely to seek clarity: who truly has the authority to define 'burden' under the Equality Act? That determination rests solely with the judge, not with any party or their lawyers.
After I started my bag brand, I thought my career in law was behind me. I never intended to formally learn law, but this unexpected journey has solidified my conviction: true accessibility isn't just about compliance; it's about unlocking human potential. I'm doing this because every disabled individual deserves equitable access to opportunities, whether in finance, entrepreneurship, or any field; allowing them to build brands, create art, and follow their dreams without facing 'unjustifiable burdens' from the systems meant to support them.
While banks make record shareholder profits, human lives are profoundly affected. Luckily, there are individuals who will stand up as activists, and there is the law itself, to hold them accountable.
