This mom is changing fashion for the differently-abled
NEW YORK – The day 8-year-old Oliver Scheier came home and asked his mom if he could wear jeans to school was a moment she will never forget. Oliver has a rare form of muscular dystrophy and his mother, Mindy Scheier, knew that wearing jeans wouldn’t be easy for him.
“I was really faced with a decision of whether I let him go to school knowing he wouldn’t be able to go to the bathroom on his own, he wouldn’t be able to wear his leg braces,” Mindy remembers. “Or do I tell my 8-year-old that he can’t wear the same thing as the other kids?”
In that moment, Mindy decided that she didn’t want anyone to have to make a choice like that again. Mindy is a fashion designer by trade and embarked on an adventure that is changing the lives of millions in the differently-abled community.
Mindy started Runway of Dreams, a non-profit organization that works with the fashion industry to adapt mainstream clothing for the differently-abled population. They sent out surveys and held focus groups to assess commonalities between many different disabilities and their clothing challenges.
Mindy was introduced to Global Brands Group who manufacture Tommy Hilfiger’s clothing collections. She explained the necessary modifications for clothing to be more easily wearable. Mindy helped them understand modifications such as replacing closures with magnets, adding adjustability to the clothing, as well as other design modifications to allow different ways to get in and out of clothing. In February, Tommy Hilfiger became the first brand to pioneer these changes in the industry.
Mindy’s son no longer has to make the difficult choice of whether or not to wear jeans. Oliver and millions of children worldwide now have the option of wearing mainstream, affordable clothing that work for them.
Faith and Karen Guilbault are grateful for Mindy’s work. They posted a video to Runway of Dreams’ Facebook page. They showed off the ease at which Faith could put on her new modified jeans over her leg braces. “This is by far the bomb!” exclaimed Karen. Faith agrees, “Thank you Runway of Dreams, you’re awesome!”
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