Mindy Scheier: How adaptive clothing empowers people with disabilities
Mindy Scheier: Como o vestuário adaptado dá poder a pessoas com deficiências
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
no dia seguinte.
the same way about fashion,
o mesmo em relação à moda,
or a pair of jeans that transforms you --
ou uns "jeans" que vos transformam,
crazy-hair spirits together.
de penteados malucos.
penosamente irónica
with a rare form of muscular dystrophy,
com uma forma rara de distrofia muscular,
more challenging than most.
mais problemático que para a maioria.
antes dos dois anos e meio,
that was placed on his face.
colocado na cara.
the very thing that I adore --
— precisamente o que eu tanto adoro —
of his shortcomings.
das suas limitações.
when he started school,
quando ele foi para a escola.
was a constant reminder
era uma chamada de atenção permanente
to wear sweatpants every day:
calças de fato de treino todos os dias:
he would wear proper pants.
usar calças normais.
the button and zipper,
fechar o botão e o fecho éclair,
to the men's room,
masculina,
There's nothing I haven't seen before."
que eu não tenha visto antes."
de nos desenvencilhar.
à terceira classe,
than I ever imagined.
comigo do que eu pensava.
com a moda.
and said very definitively
muito decididamente
like everybody else gets to wear.
como toda a gente usava.
to class with him
ir para a escola com ele
I was telling my eight-year-old
iria dizer ao meu filho de 8 anos
what he wanted to wear.
o que quisesse.
com os "jeans" dele.
my own favorite pants,
as minhas calças favoritas,
pelas costuras,
do que estou a falar?
up and down on his own.
e puxar sozinho as calças.
das calças
of the bottom of his pants
peel and stick, mind you --
puxar e colar, atenção —
my arts and crafts project,
de artes manuais ao Oliver,
with his head held so high.
to the bathroom on his own;
into the world of adaptive clothing.
no mundo do vestuário adaptado.
designed for people with disabilities,
para pessoas incapacitadas,
with dressing themselves.
tenha dificuldade em vestir-se.
fashion component.
da moda corrente.
I've known this forever,
eu sempre soube isso,
have a name for it.
mesmo um nome.
of wearing the clothing,
to how you feel about yourself.
em como nos sentimos sobre nós mesmos.
by the name of Karen J. Pine.
Reino Unido chamada Karen J. Pine
"Mind What You Wear:
The Psychology of Fashion."
of what you're wearing,
do que temos vestido,
uma estrela de "rock"
those perfect-fitting jeans.
de ajuste perfeito
when you put on that power suit,
vestimos aquele fato poderoso.
Oliver felt so isolated
que o Oliver se sentia tão isolado
what he wanted to wear.
todos os dias
roupa de deficiente."
no nosso planeta
de deficiência motora.
experience clothing challenges,
tiverem problemas com a roupa,
that may not be as confident,
que podem não ser tão confiantes,
wearing those jeans,
para a escola com aqueles "jeans",
do something about that.
alguma coisa em relação a isso.
called Runway of Dreams.
chamada Runway of Dreams.
the fashion industry
no vestuário normal
to mainstream clothing
that has never been served.
que nunca foi bem servida.
year of research.
I went to hospitals.
on the street who were in wheelchairs
pessoas em cadeiras de rodas
going to make a difference,
quisesse fazer diferença,
the clothing challenges
os desafios da roupa
as I possibly could.
que pudesse.
who has cerebral palsy.
com paralisia cerebral.
de Harvard.
to wear jeans on campus,
usar 'jeans' no campus,
her left forearm and her hand.
nem a mão.
her daughter's difference magnified
da sua filha reforçada
professionally tailored.
comprida personalizadas por profissionais.
and money she spent?
que ela gastava?
of spending time with Eric LeGrand,
de estar com o Eric LeGrand,
who was paralyzed during a tackle in 2010.
que ficou paralisado numa placagem em 2010.
seen some unfathomable things,
coisas bem insondáveis,
was the most heart-stopping.
a que me cortou a respiração.
and a lifting machine
e uma máquina de elevação
for over two hours.
durante mais de duas horas.
a change in the industry,
uma mudança na indústria,
how to make these clothes modified.
modificar estas roupas.
I gathered over that past year,
ao longo desse ano,
actually three categories
três categorias
were a challenge for almost everybody.
um problema para quase toda a gente.
with a more manageable technology:
tecnologia mais manejável:
able to wear jeans on campus,
de Harvard usar "jeans" no campus,
e de mangas, cintos
different-shaped bodies.
muito diversos.
a shirt right off the rack
uma camisola directamente da prateleira
the clothing on and off the body,
de vestir e despir a roupa,
of over your head.
de entrar pela cabeça.
com os braços primeiro.
off his dressing process
ao seu processo de vestir
ripped them apart,
rasguei-as,
until I felt I had great modifications.
até sentir que tinha grandes alterações.
campeonatos maiores:
going to make a difference,
uma diferença a sério,
to educate the industry
de ensinar a indústria
desta população
a ser considerados.
that the industry heard me.
que a indústria ouviu-me.
with the most amazing,
com a marca mais fantástica,
adaptive collection.
corrente adaptável.
what you're going to wear,
vos faz sentir.
are going to break down over time.
vão degenerar com o tempo.
devastating part for me.
devastadora para mim.
that I cannot control
para o que não posso controlar
industry to look up.
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