Mindy Scheier is a fashion designer and a pioneer of the adaptive fashion movement. As the founder of the Runway of Dreams and GAMUT Management, she campaigns to break down stereotypes and make the fashion industry more inclusive. Ever since she designed her first piece of adaptive clothing in 2013, Mindy has been on a mission to highlight the need for mainstream adaptive clothing for people with disabilities. In 2016, Runway of Dreams partnered with Tommy Hilfinger to create Tommy Adaptives, and they have recently announced an exciting new collaboration with Victoria’s Secret.
In this episode, you’ll hear from Mindy Scheier on:
- (00:04:10) Her aha moment. Mindy recalls the moment when her son Oliver (who has a rare form of muscular dystrophy) told her he wanted to wear jeans rather than sweatpants to school. She describes how his simple request made her realize how important clothing was to his sense of identity and inspired her to address the clothing challenges faced by people with disabilities.
- (00:45:00) The impact of inclusivity. We talk about the real difference that Runway of Dreams is making in the lives of people with disabilities, and Mindy shares the story of a young model with a prosthetic arm who gained the confidence to wear short-sleeved shirts after taking part in one of its fashion shows.
- (00:49:26) The adaptive fashion revolution. Mindy praises Victoria’s Secret for shifting its focus away from the conventional perception of the ‘perfect’ female body and making an effort to serve women with disabilities. As a campaigner, Mindy believes that Runway of Dreams’ partnership with Victoria's Secret will be trail-blazing and will help to change the way the world thinks about people with disabilities.
- (00:51:30) Her commitment to equality in the workplace. Mindy reveals that 80% of people with disabilities are unemployed. So, as the CEO of GAMUT Management, she outlines the measures she takes to make her workplace inclusive and give people with disabilities a voice, a job, and a feeling of being valued.
- (00:54:24) The importance of dignity and choice. We discuss the role that adaptive clothing can play in restoring dignity to people who have experienced life-changing physical injuries but don’t want to change the way they dress.