Three clothing collections adapted to the needs of people with disabilities have been launched for the first time in Moldova, with the participation of local designers and women with special needs. Yevgeny Hudorozhkov and Ana Popova joined the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) “Fighting Stigma with Style” campaign and created apparel tailored to the needs of women with disabilities, which is stylish and comfortable at the same time, IPN reports.
According to the designers, a garment adapted to the needs of people with special needs is one that can be put on more easily, for example, has fastening tapes or magnets instead of buttons, has wider necklines, is made of natural fabrics and, at the same time, can be accommodated to various situations.
“Frankly, at the beginning I had my doubts about getting involved in such a project. This being my first experience working with people with disabilities, I was afraid that the outfits would not come out well. But as soon as I started working on it, I began to know their needs, to discuss more in terms of style and convenience, to sketch adaptations and to apply creativity.
“We replaced the buttons or zippers with fastening tapes on the side so that the pants are wider and the person can put them on more easily. Usually, it’s a quite challenging to adapt something beautiful to something comfortable, but I’m glad that through these outfits I managed to highlight the strengths of each woman, regardless of the type of disability she has”, said Ana Popova, who created a collection of pajamas.
The launch of the three collections of dresses, suits and pajamas in Chisinau included a catwalk presentation that featured 15 women and girls with disabilities. They say it was a unique experience that made them feel equal to others, and their needs were taken into account.
“Even if I used a walking frame on the catwalk, I felt proud and honored to wear the outfits of our local designers, I discovered the style and fabrics that I used to avoid, believing that they would obstruct movement. But it wasn’t like that, because the designers made all the necessary adjustments. And so, prettified by the stylists, I overcame any stereotype and walked comfortably and confidently on the catwalk”, says Mariana Țîbuleac-Ciobanu.
The “Fighting stigma with style” campaign was launched at the initiative of UNFPA Moldova to promote inclusion and equal opportunities in the fashion and textile industries.
“We hope that this revolution of inclusion that we have begun will continue. UNFPA will strive to bring the experience of international brands which have adapted collections for people with disabilities into Moldova’s light industry and increase the capacities of domestic producers in this respect. I encourage other companies in the light industry, fashion designers, as well as international organizations to join this effort, and together to break the stereotypes and prejudices related to people with disabilities,” said Nigina Abaszada, UNFPA Resident Representative in Moldova.
The campaign was carried out from September to December by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), in partnership with the Association of Light Industry Producers (APIUS) and “Motivație” NGO.
