Mindy Scheier: How adaptive clothing empowers people with disabilities
Mindy Scheier: Les vêtements adaptatifs rendent autonomes les personnes en situation de handicap
Mindy Scheier is the founder of the Runway of Dreams Foundation. Prior to launching the nonprofit, Mindy spent over 20 years working in fashion as a key member of the design team for the INC collection and stylist for Saks Fifth Avenue in New York City. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
thinking about what I'm going to wear
en pensant à ce que je vais porter
the same way about fashion,
pas ce sentiment sur la mode
or a pair of jeans that transforms you --
favori ou un jeans qui vous transforme,
de vous sentir bien,
avec notre esprit aux cheveux en pétard.
crazy-hair spirits together.
dans l'industrie de la mode,
d'une ironie tragique.
with a rare form of muscular dystrophy,
une forme rare de dystrophie musculaire,
more challenging than most.
que pour la plupart.
pour rester stable.
that was placed on his face.
sur le visage.
et me dévisageait.
lui avons affirmé
the very thing that I adore --
ce qui m'est si précieux,
n'influence pas son esprit.
of his shortcomings.
de ses faiblesses.
when he started school,
quand il a commencé l'école
was a constant reminder
est devenu un rappel constant
et ne pouvait pas faire.
to wear sweatpants every day:
faire porter tout le temps un jogging :
he would wear proper pants.
il portait un pantalon.
the button and zipper,
le bouton ni la fermeture éclair,
to the men's room,
aux toilettes.
à ce moment-là, aussi.
There's nothing I haven't seen before."
j'en avais vu d'autres.
à l'école primaire,
than I ever imagined.
davantage que je ne le pensais.
and said very definitively
il a affirmé avec conviction
like everybody else gets to wear.
comme tout le monde.
to class with him
des garçons.
I was telling my eight-year-old
à mon fils de huit ans
what he wanted to wear.
ce qu'il voulait.
un jeans incroyable.
que quand j'étais enceinte,
my own favorite pants,
de porter mon jeans favori,
dans la boutonnière
up and down on his own.
son pantalon.
of the bottom of his pants
peel and stick, mind you --
my arts and crafts project,
with his head held so high.
to the bathroom on his own;
into the world of adaptive clothing.
dans le monde des vêtements adaptatifs.
designed for people with disabilities,
pour les personnes avec des handicaps,
with dressing themselves.
à s'habiller seuls.
fashion component.
I've known this forever,
j'ai toujours su ça,
have a name for it.
lui ont donné un nom :
sur le processus cognitif »,
of wearing the clothing,
quand on le porte.
to how you feel about yourself.
avec la manière dont nous nous sentons.
by the name of Karen J. Pine.
en Angleterre, Karen J. Pine,
"Mind What You Wear:
La psychologie de la mode. »
of what you're wearing,
comme une rock star
those perfect-fitting jeans.
when you put on that power suit,
quand on met son tailleur de combat,
Oliver felt so isolated
se sentait si seul
ce qu'il voulait.
what he wanted to wear.
tous les jours
comme un handicapé. »
sur notre planète
experience clothing challenges,
des difficultés vestimentaires,
qui ne se sentiront pas aussi rassurés,
that may not be as confident,
wearing those jeans,
est parti à l'école avec ce jeans,
do something about that.
remédier à cette situation.
called Runway of Dreams.
« Runway of Dreams » [La piste des rêves]
the fashion industry
l'industrie de la mode
to mainstream clothing
les vêtements classiques
that has never been served.
qui a toujours été négligée.
year of research.
de recherche.
I went to hospitals.
les établissements, les hôpitaux.
on the street who were in wheelchairs
en chaise roulante dans la rue,
going to make a difference,
vraiment améliorer la situation
the clothing challenges
les défis liés aux vêtements
as I possibly could.
de personnes différentes.
who has cerebral palsy.
qui avait une paralysie cérébrale.
to wear jeans on campus,
porter un jeans sur le campus,
her left forearm and her hand.
ni de main gauches.
her daughter's difference magnified
la différence de sa fille amplifiée
professionally tailored.
de confectionner tous les chemisiers.
and money she spent?
qu'elle a consacrés à ça ?
of spending time with Eric LeGrand,
du temps avec Eric LeGrand,
who was paralyzed during a tackle in 2010.
paralysé durant un match en 2010.
seen some unfathomable things,
des choses inimaginables,
was the most heart-stopping.
and a lifting machine
et d'un treuil
for over two hours.
pendant plus de deux heures.
a change in the industry,
pour transformer l'industrie,
how to make these clothes modified.
comment modifier ces vêtements.
I gathered over that past year,
pendant cette année,
actually three categories
qu'il y avait trois catégories d'éléments
were a challenge for almost everybody.
les agrafes sont la malédiction de tous.
with a more manageable technology:
plus simple à manipuler :
able to wear jeans on campus,
de porter un jeans sur le campus,
et les tours de taille
different-shaped bodies.
quand on a un corps différent.
a shirt right off the rack
un chemisier prêt-à-porter
the clothing on and off the body,
pour enfiler et ôter ses vêtements
of over your head.
de les passer par les bras.
off his dressing process
prêt-à-porter.
ripped them apart,
je les ai désassemblés,
until I felt I had great modifications.
jusqu'à être satisfaire du résultat.
ma propre collection,
going to make a difference,
faire la différence,
to educate the industry
informer l'industrie
de vrais consommateurs
that the industry heard me.
que l'industrie m'a entendue.
with the most amazing,
avec les marques les plus fabuleuses,
de notre planète,
adaptive collection.
de vêtements adaptatifs.
pour une vie saine.
what you're going to wear,
à ce que vous allez porter,
pour la sensation
are going to break down over time.
vont s'atrophier avec le temps.
devastating part for me.
dont la santé se détériore.
that I cannot control
que je ne peux pas contrôler,
industry to look up.
de la mode de faire pareil.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Mindy Scheier - Fashion designerMindy Scheier is the founder of the Runway of Dreams Foundation. Prior to launching the nonprofit, Mindy spent over 20 years working in fashion as a key member of the design team for the INC collection and stylist for Saks Fifth Avenue in New York City.
Why you should listen
Mindy Scheier's career path took a new direction when her son Oliver, who has a rare form of muscular dystrophy that causes physical disabilities, wanted to wear jeans to school like his friends. She used her background in design to adapt a pair that not only met his needs but increased his confidence. She soon realized that millions of people around the globe were also struggling to access fashionable clothing and went on to conduct extensive research and focus groups with people of all abilities to better understand the challenges faced by the community. She used her experience in fashion to develop modifications -- including magnetic closures, adjustability of waistbands, pant and sleeve lengths and alternative ways to get in and out of the clothing -- to meet a wide variety of needs within the differently-abled community. After pounding the fashion pavement, Runway of Dreams collaborated with Tommy Hilfiger on the first ever-mainstream adaptive clothing line for kids in Spring 2016.
Scheier's work with Runway of Dreams Foundation expands beyond adaptive clothing. Founded on the basis that clothing is a basic human need, the Runway of Dreams Foundation develops, delivers and supports initiatives to broaden the reach of mainstream adaptive clothing and promote the differently-abled community in the fashion industry. Through adaptive clothing donations, employment opportunity initiatives, adaptive design workshops, awareness building campaigns and scholarships programs, the Runway of Dreams Foundation is empowering people with disabilities with opportunity, confidence, independence and style. Envisioning a world where fashion is mainstream and accessible for all, Scheier continues to break down barriers and challenge industry norms.
Mindy Scheier | Speaker | TED.com