After rocking the fashion ramp last year, Aarambh is all set
to rock the fashion world again next month. This show brings people with
disabilities on the ramp, and aims to change traditional notions about
beauty, fashion and disability.
Aarambh is an initiative of Vadodara-based NGO Vyom, which
works to empower people in need. Vyom believes fashion is an effective
platform to promote inclusion.
For Aarambh 2019, models with disabilities have collaborated with talented
designers to design customized fashion wear and this will be presented on
stage.
50 disabled models will walk the ramp in Ahmedabad and there are
50 fashion designers working with them.
One of the models is Jitendra Kumar Dangi who walks with the
aid of calipers. He says Aarambh has been a life changing event for him. “I
have no words to describe the impact Aarambh and Vyom have made on my life.
The initiative has helped many disabled people win confidence in themselves
and changed lives positively.”
Another model Asha Prajapati , who is a wheelchair user,
says taking part has made her feel more confident, socially.
” I have started going out of the house more often and feel more confident
now about myself. The organizers have been grooming us for months and I have
learned a lot of new things that are making me more positive about the
future”.
In a world where there are so many stereotypes regarding skin, height, body
shape and disability, giving people with disabilities a chance to walk the
ramp is a great way to promote inclusion.
There is this idea of ‘beauty’ which has become a stereotype and this
needs to be questioned. People tend to fall prey to social protocols and
expect perfection in their appearance. In a situation like this, being able
to design and guide my students into designing for the physically
challenged was so refreshing! It was in a form ‘ethical’ fashion
designing. – Shriya M Shah, Fashion Designer
Muskaan Kothari is also among the many designers working on
the show.
“When I got to know about the fashion show, I was not sure I would be able
to do justice”, she says. “As I started working with my model and the
team, it turned out to be a lifetime experience. My model uses a wheelchair
and leads an independent life like everyone else, so I got to understand her
needs and developed designs accordingly.”
Aarambh, says Kothari, has given her the chance to explore her inner
strengths. Truly, a fun and novel approach towards building inclusion among
the younger generation.
Source: https://newzhook.com/story/21505
