Blind and visually impaired people are often overlooked in the fashion industry, but Angela Wanjiku, founder of Hisi Studios, wants to change that.
His company offers a unique collection of clothing that communicates directly with their customers using braille. Hisi Studios creates tactile pieces, each with a special message sewn into the fabric: we create clothing adapted to the needs of visually impaired people, by rethinking and integrating specific elements into our creations. Each piece features Braille prints, tactile designs and inspirational Braille phrases. Among these sentences, we find: “The less we see with our eyes, the more we see with our hearts”. These messages aim to promote inclusion and provide those who wear our clothing with a more enriching and meaningful experience.
In Kenya, 224,000 people are blind and 750,000 live with visual impairments. All materials used by Hisi Studio are locally sourced. Their clothing is sold on social media and two e-commerce platforms. Julius Mbura is a lawyer by profession and client of Hisi Studio: The clothes I wear, including Hisi Studios brand t-shirts, are designed to allow blind or visually impaired people to enjoy fashion in a unique way. Hisi Studios ensures that clothing reflects who we are and who we are, with braille and tactile messages. This allows me to read the messages on my t-shirt myself, without needing to depend on someone else to do so. It’s a different and very enriching experience.
These clothes from the Kenyan brand are a source of pride for their creator, Angela Wanjiku, but also for their essential role in connecting visually impaired people to their style in an autonomous and inclusive way in a booming sector.
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