Someone who is blind or partially sighted doesn’t care what their clothes look like because they can’t see them. This is one of the most persistent and, in our opinion, wrong beliefs that exist about clothing for the visually impaired. Because everyone deserves to look good and walk out the door with confidence, says designer Rachel Lourens. With her SeeFeel brand, she enables blind and visually impaired people to choose their own clothes in the shop and put them on (properly) every morning.
Lourens graduated two years ago and had a love for fabrics and textures. “I wanted to do something that would have an impact. Working with textures gave me the idea that visually impaired and blind people might like clothes with more texture.” She then began researching the preferences and challenges that blind and partially sighted people have when it comes to clothing – and so SeeFeel was born . “Being sighted myself, I have conducted many interviews to find out how visually impaired people move and walk through their homes, but also how they choose and dress in their clothes.” She points out that it is particularly important for blind and partially sighted people to always look neat and tidy. “First impressions shouldn’t be like, ‘You don’t look good, it’s because you’re blind.’ In addition, clothing is also a way for them to express themselves. People really underestimate the importance of clothing, even for people with visual impairments.”
Her work shows that not only do sighted people have prejudices about clothing for the visually impaired, but that there are also prejudices among the visually impaired. “People who tried on the first designs were surprised that a fitted garment wasn’t ugly or dated,” says Lourens. The idea is to make fashionable garments that are manipulated with fabrics in some way, so there’s always something interesting “But,” she emphasizes, “the clothes are there for everyone. For people with and without visual impairment”.
In her designs, for example, she uses pleats and combines denim with wool. The label in the clothing has a larger font with contrasting colors to make it extra legible. It gives information about the size, the price and the color. “Most care labels have so much information in such small print that it’s almost impossible to read. The labels also contain a QR code to the website so that a detailed description can be read and also listened to, as well as the information in Braille. The items feature a 3D logo so that people with disabilities can feel the back of the item so that it is always put on the right way round.” Lourens’ work enables inclusion and accessibility in the clothing industry in a very different and Wise to look at because although SeeFeel’s additions are practical, they are not overly complex, making SeeFeel a statement of accessibility in the fashion world for the visually impaired.
SeeFeel wants to make the shopping street more accessible for everyone
SeeFeel recently completed a crowdfunding campaign that Lourens wants to use to expand its offering. There are plans to add four new garments to the range and increase stock to reduce delivery times. At the moment she only makes women’s fashion and she wants to do it properly first, she says in a telephone interview. But she doesn’t rule out men’s fashion either. All items are produced in the Netherlands and as sustainably as possible. For example, a top currently costs 80 euros and a denim jacket 140 euros. The cost of production in the Netherlands and the combination with a lot of manual work cause the higher price. “That’s difficult, because the people in my target group are often not the ones who have a lot of money to spend. It’s still a problem I’m thinking about: How can I solve this?”
The entrepreneur dreams big: as far as her own brand is concerned, Lourens would like to have at least one store in every provincial capital of the Netherlands. This is also where crowdfunding comes into play, because in order to realize this, there must of course be enough stock. Secondly, she would like at least one entire shopping street to be accessible to everyone in every Dutch city, because that too is still a challenge. “But that’s a long-term goal. A challenge like that keeps you on your toes.”
This translated post previously appeared on FashionUnited.nl. Translation and editing: Karenita Haalck