Wearing The Unseen
She asked herself, “How do the visually impaired people go about fashion? How do they dress up? How do they shop for clothes? What is the fashion experience for them like?” In answering these questions came the solution of adaptive clothing. She conducted research through questionnaires and personal interaction for clarity. In her interviews with visually impaired university students, Wanjiku learned more. She interacted closely with them and their wardrobes, learning about the users’ pain points that their clothing didn’t fulfill. Two things became clear to her. One was to use braille and textures in her designs, and the other was to make the shopping experience smooth for all buyers. With the element of touch, the aspect of interaction for the blind comes to life. “Hisi” means “touch” in Swahili. Hence, the name ‘Hisi Studio’ was born.
Hisi Studio’s Journey to Redefine Fashion for the Visually Impaired
THE JOY OF INCLUSION
In 2019, Wanjiku decided to learn more about braille literacy and the visually impaired. She signed up for a braille proficiency certificate course at the Kenya Institute for Special Education. There, she learned about the lives of people with visual impairment. She also learned to read and write braille in Swahili and English and did mathematics in braille as well. One of her professors was blind, and he was among the first to receive Hisi Studio’s final product after months of research. His reaction to interacting with the T-shirt was moving. Wanjiku recalls this incident, “He was so excited. He exclaimed
PHOTOGRAPHED BY HISI STUDIO | LISA-BLUE | COTTONBRO STUDIO WRITTEN BY MRUDAVI PUNEKAR
I n the world of fashion, accessibility has often been an afterthought. Inclusive clothing for people with physical disabilities is still available in the market. However, what about the visually impaired and blind? For Angela Wanjiku, the founder and Creative Lead of Hisi Studio, accessibility for the visually impaired is at the forefront of her design philosophy. The brand features fashionable, adaptive clothing, incorporating textures, braille, and QR codes that generate audio descriptions, making fashion more inclusive for everyone. HISI STUDIO GENESIS In 2018, Wanjiku was trying to come up with a topic for her final year project at the University of Nairobi (UoN). In the process, she recalled that a town near Nairobi, Thika, has two schools for blind and visually impaired children. She had interacted with the students a few times.
“Design is for everyone. Everything beautiful is for everyone.” - ANGELA WANJIKU
loudly, ‘I haven’t interacted with anything like this.’ It was amazing seeing the expressions on his face, the words he told me, and the delight that took over at that moment. That joy of seeing him light up in that way for being included in something—the joy of inclusion. It was at that moment we knew we were on the right path, and we just needed to continue.”
Angela Wanjiku, the founder and Creative Lead of Hisi Studio
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