South African fashion designer only in the world adding braille to clothes
Balini Naidoo-Engelbrecht is a 33-year-old designer from Saldanha Bay changing the world one t-shirt at a time.
Not everyone has a passion for fashion, but most people want to feel good and look good.
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You might not be a big spender but sometimes you'll find a hoodie, a pair of pants or shoes that you absolutely adore.
Have you ever considered what a struggle shopping is for a visually impaired person?
Balini Naidoo-Engelbrecht has always tried to improve the lives of others and she is now doing so through her innovative clothing designs.
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She is specifically addressing a challenge that visually impaired people face every day.
How do they know what colour a piece of clothing is? Or how to wash their clothes if they cannot read a tag.
During my first year, I came up with the idea in business studies, one of our subjects of clothing design. There was no research, so it was difficult to back up theory or data. People constantly asked me ”What is braille? Why on clothing? Why is this important? People could not understand my process. So that was very difficult for me.
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She realised that there was very little research being done on braille, a system of touch reading and writing for blind persons in which raised dots represent the letters of the alphabet, and incorporating it into different ways.
After extensive research and trying various methods, and prototypes, she became the first person in the world to print braille into an actual piece of clothing.
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As the only designer in the world with a Braille Identification System, she can adapt braille to put it onto clothing.
Through her innovation, she has been able to print important information onto clothing for the visually impaired including sizes, wash and care instructions and how to pair the item you have with other pieces.
Balini has worked hard to create a brand that not only helps the visually impaired but also spreads awareness.
It’s a brand that creates awareness. It’s not only fashionable, but it also serves a cause. It’s inclusive fashion, a bold statement that’s put onto ready-to-wear garments - nothing over the top. Something that addresses a social challenge for the visually impaired.
Have a look at her brand below:
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