Bringing together art, design and accessibility

Women with disabilities who are trained tailors, participated in the launch of the design initiative, at Vidya Sagar in Chennai on March 7, 2023
| Photo Credit: B. VELANKANNI RAJ

S. Gajalakshmi breaks into a smile when she is asked how she stitched the designer blouse she is wearing. “The designs on the sleeves, with the special embroidery and work were conceived by me. I walk with the support of a crutch, so I had to keep this in mind and tailor the garment so that it would be comfortable for me,” she said.

Exploring the integration of art, design and accessibility, SciArtRUs, a California-based not-for-profit’s initiative ‘Project DesignAbility’ aims to spotlight such designer outfitting, outfits that are not just fashionable but also accessible and adaptive. Marking the launch of the initiative, SciArtRUs partnered with Chennai-based tailoring and designing unit Vidhya’s Comfort Design and sewed 100 designer blouses, which were given to members of the Society for the Rights of Women with Disabilities (SFRD).

“While we were keen on showcasing artistic and designer sewing, the focus, we realised, should also be on how we can make it accessible and adaptable for women. All seamstresses and tailors globally should be introduced to making accessible clothing,” said Ranjini Kaushik, president, SciArtRUs.

 The women members who received the designer blouses met at Vidya Sagar, an organisaton that works with persons with disabilities in Kotturpuram on Tuesday, ahead of International Women’s Day, making it a unique celebration. R. Nagalakshmi, a makeup artist who is also disabled, worked with her team and offered make-up services free of cost.

B. Divya, from Vidhya’s Comfort Design said that they had taken into account the requests made by them for accessible and adaptive features to be included in the garments. “We have not made such blouses or garments before and it was a learning opportunity for us as well, to tailor accessible clothes. We are ready to make any adaptations needed for persons with disabilities, going forward,” she said. Among the adaptations were replacing hooks or zips with velcro strips and changing up the sleeve patterns to easily put on the garment.

 While Gajalakshmi had made her own designer blouse, the larger focus of the project was to upskill many other women to do the same. Speaking about Project DesignAbility, Smitha Sadasivam, cross disability inclusion and accessibilities facilitator said that they were looking for support to upskill the 100 women members of the SFRWD and enable them to make designer garments such as designer blouses. “These women are already trained in basic tailoring and once they are trained, they can offer designer garment stitching services and earn a steady livelihood,” she said. 

While institutions like the National Institute of Fashion Technology have been exploring accessible fashion for many years now, more initiatives are still on the margins and are isolated, said Poonam Natarajan, founder Vidya Sagar.

 “Accessible and adaptive clothing is important for independence. When these women are trained, they can wear fashionable and accessible clothes themselves, as well as use their designer skills for a livelihood,” she added.