Being visually impaired shouldn’t hinder one’s ability to dress fashionably. Parul Sachdeva is a budding fashion designer motivated towards changing the perception of visual impairment through her love of design. Her creative project “Dots” raises awareness of the loss of sight and proves that people who cannot see should not be limited in their creativity or self-expression. The garments in this collection are made from high quality fabrics, easy to wear and affordable- making them a great choice for the visually challenged who want to feel attractive and confident in their clothing choices.

Clothes are one of the most basic necessities of our lives, and yet for many, just putting them on is an arduous challenge. Visually impairedpeople have a difficult time selecting clothing for themselves because of their inability to perceive form and colour. They can only resort to tactile impressions to get a sense of objects around them. “Dots” was created to empower these individuals to be able to dress themselves without using someone else’s help in putting outfits together. Parul explored ideas that leverages, rethinks and includes the
needs of these individuals to integrate solution-based design concepts in her clothing.

Each item goes beyond the visual language of fashion by involving the other senses. Namely that of touch. She incorporated Braille — the tactile system of reading and writing used by people who are blind — into the creation of articles of clothing to give greater autonomy to sightless people when clothing themselves. Hence the name “Dots” which refers to the tiny bumps or raised dots that help people to read without having to see. These dots would help the blind distinguish one item of clothing from the other and allow them to identify pockets, collars, panels and belt buckles. In addition to this, Parul incorporated textural elements to increase a sense of engagement and enjoyment in the wearer, through layered pockets, cording, embroidery, piping overlapping panels and other thoughtful touches.

Project by:
PARUL SACHDEVA
School of Fashion
Cohort: PGFD 2015-2017