At the end of February, the third educational module was launched at the British Higher School of Design on the initiative of Bezgraniz Couture. For the first time, the students' work is devoted to solving a specific task - creating business clothes for people with disabilities.

Over the past year, the society has not only actively discussed the employment of people with disabilities, but also a large number of cases from large companies have appeared. Thus, the issue of adaptation of people with disabilities in the work team has become very relevant, and the project Bezgraniz Couture offers to solve it, among other things, by creating functional and modern business clothes.

 

Clothing is an important social marker. It affects the self-esteem of a person with a disability and the perception of others around him, and compliance with the same dress code with colleagues facilitates entry into the professional environment," comments Yanina Urusova, founder of Bezgraniz Couture and a member of the working group on the social integration of young people with disabilities under the President of the Russian Federation. In 2010 and 2012, one of the profiles of our project was the employment of specialists with disabilities, so we are well familiar with this topic. Unfortunately, they cannot always comply with the employer's dress code simply because of the lack of suitable clothes in their wardrobe. We are sure that the images and garments created by the students of "British women" will help applicants feel more confident in the interview process, which will increase their chances of success when applying for a job. And it will help employees to adapt to the team faster.

 

The creative process will be attended by employees of leading Russian and Western companies that are members of the Business Council on Disability (SBVI). First-year students of DPO "Fashion Design" will have to develop business clothes taking into account the body characteristics of models with four types of disabilities: cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, amputation, as well as for people using a wheelchair. The project will be held under the motto "Dress for success" (from the English Dress for success).

Participant of the 2016 educational module, candidate for the post of the Council of Deputies of the Khimki City District Nikolay Lukyanov believes that a good suit is the key to career success.

 

"For me, high-quality business clothes are of great importance. People should treat me with trust, as a self-sufficient person who helps them solve problems, and not feel pity and sympathy. I use a wheelchair, and the suits that can be purchased at the store are designed for people with a different physique. Last year I already participated in the project, and the students created a business kit for me. The jacket is very practical to use and is made of high-quality material. I feel cozy and comfortable in it, it gives me self-confidence.

 

In two months of the thematic module, students will develop prototypes of business clothes.

Innovative fabrics provided by Covestro, a partner of the Bezgraniz Couture project, will be used to test most of the prototypes. As part of the curriculum, students will be able to study the properties of materials and use their advantages when creating clothes for people with disabilities.

The Dress for success project is a continuation of the work on creating clothes for people with disabilities, as well as the formation of a new type of communication that allows them to see equal members of society in them. The founders of the project call this approach "disability rebranding". Bezgraniz Couture expands the concept of a barrier-free environment, complementing it with a new facet of functional modern clothing and accessories.

The project works in the following areas:

• development of design and designs of adaptive clothing and creation of experimental productions;
• education;
• scientific research and scientific and educational activities;
• educational activities within the framework of the project "Rebranding a disabled person" and creating a new type of communication.

Permanent participants of the projects are Paralympians, models, TV presenters, social figures with disabilities. People who inspire by their example and will.

Bezgraniz Couture creates a new culture of society's relationships with special people, forming new standards in appearance, way of thinking, career aspirations, educational qualifications. The project shares the new state and social paradigm of abandoning the passive position and contributes to the formation of other ideas in society. People with disabilities will have the opportunity to become more self-confident, modernly dressed, and get involved in social processes.