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Balini Naidoo talks to Top Billing about her braille-friendly fashion
Balini Naidoo makes fashion accessible for the blind
If you are unsighted or visually impaired, you typically need someone to help or to confirm that you’re wearing the right outfit and in the style you intended.
With this ground-breaking braille-identification fashion label by created by designer Balini Naidoo, no assistance is required, giving someone with visual impairment a sense of independence.
When Balini Naidoo's uncle started losing his eyesight, she noticed the difficulty he faced when it came to choosing clothing and the lack of options for those who are visually impaired. It made her want to do something. Her designs now help people identify what they're putting on by using a braille identification system, which is printed on the clothing.
As part of this year's Design Indaba Balini has travelled and been able to showcase her incredible designs and brand all while raising awareness for the struggles of unsighted or visually impaired people.
Independence has one meaning to a visually impaired person and another to someone who has been economically disadvantaged. Balini is making a difference in both cases, and is empowering the community through sewing.
Even if basic sewing is an entry level skill, it opens up any number of fields to allow for an independent income. This social entrepreneur and her collection made 2018’s Design Indaba Emerging Creatives programme and it’s only the start. She is a Durban University of Technology BTech Fashion and Textile student and hopes to go on and study further.
Fashion and the enjoyment of it are especially important to the fifty seven per cent of blind or partially sighted people who are women - and the almost a quarter of whom are young people. These hip designs in muted colours are rich in texture too.
As this exceptional, young woman says - what we do for ourselves dies with us, but what we do for others - lives forever.
