Mindy Scheier

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Mindy Scheier (born 1971) founded the Runway of Dreams Foundation in 2014, a fashion nonprofit for people with disabilities. [1]

Contents

Career

Scheier is a graduate of University of Vermont. [2] She spent more than 20 years working as a designer for the INC collection. She also worked as a stylist for Saks Fifth Avenue in New York City. [3]

Scheier’s son, Oliver, was born with muscular dystrophy. [4] His requests for jeans and clothing like his peers had Shceier using her experience in fashion to modify garments to his needs- including magnetic closures, adjustable waistbands, varying pant and sleeve lengths, and more. Scheier then realized that apparel and fashion served as a significant part in building self-confidence and that every person, of all abilities, deserved to have that. That is when she established Runway of Dreams Foundation- an organization working with retailers to adapt clothing to all consumers’ needs. [5] [6]

In 2016, Scheier announced her first partnership with Tommy Hilfiger to design a line of adaptive clothing for the Spring collection. [7] [8] She has also consulted with Target, Zappos, and Nike on adapting their products for consumers with special needs. [9]

In 2018, Scheier secured Runway of Dreams participation in New York Fashion Week. [10] The 2019 Fashion Week included an adapted line done by Scheier and Kohl’s. [11]

Scheier has worked with Jillian Mercado, a model who has muscular dystrophy, who starred in Diesel’s campaign and Madeline Stuart, an Australian model who has Down syndrome, who was signed by a cosmetics firm and walked in Fashion Week. [12]

Personal life

Scheier lives in Livingston, New Jersey with her husband Greg and three children: Stella, Oliver, and Beau. [13]

Related Research Articles

Fashion Popular style or practice in clothing, personal adornment, or decorative arts

Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion industry as that which is trending. Everything that is considered fashion is available and popularized by the fashion system.

Muscular dystrophy Genetic disorder

Muscular dystrophies (MD) are a genetically and clinically heterogeneous group of rare neuromuscular diseases that cause progressive weakness and breakdown of skeletal muscles over time. The disorders differ as to which muscles are primarily affected, the degree of weakness, how fast they worsen, and when symptoms begin. Some types are also associated with problems in other organs.

Jeans Trousers made from denim or dungaree cloth

Jeans are a type of pants or trousers made from denim or dungaree cloth. Often the term "jeans" refers to a particular style of trousers, called "blue jeans", which were invented by Jacob W. Davis in partnership with Levi Strauss & Co. in 1871 and patented by Jacob W. Davis and Levi Strauss on May 20, 1873. Prior to the Levi Strauss patented trousers, the term "blue jeans" had been long in use for various garments, constructed from blue-colored denim.

The Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) is an American 501(c)(3) umbrella organization that works to support people with neuromuscular diseases. Founded in 1950 by Paul Cohen, who lived with muscular dystrophy, it works to combat neuromuscular disorders by funding research, providing medical and community services and educating health professionals and the general public and contributed more than $1 billion toward researching therapies and cures, helping to fund the identification of the dystrophin gene responsible for Duchenne muscular dystrophy as well as prospective treatments.

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Jillian Mercado

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Alexandra Kutas

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Myriam Chalek

Myriam Chalek is a French fashion designer, entrepreneur and diversity and inclusion advocate. She is best known for putting on alternative fashion shows meant to challenge the idea of beauty while empowering people living with disabilities.

Open Style Lab (OSL) is a nonprofit organization that was launched in 2014, initially as a public service project at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The nonprofit's executive director and board president is Grace Jun. The organization designs and produces adaptive clothing and products, with and for people with disabilities. The group invites designers, engineers, and occupational therapists from across the globe to work together to solve a real-life problem with an adaptive clothing solution. The program was replicated at MIT International Design Center and at Parsons School of Design at The New School.

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References

  1. Studio, RYOT (2018-08-28). "This Is How One Pair Of Jeans Is Changing The World". HuffPost. Retrieved 2019-11-04.
  2. "Mindy Scheier" . Retrieved 2019-11-04.
  3. Scheier, Mindy. "Mindy Scheier | Speaker | TED". www.ted.com. Retrieved 2019-11-04.
  4. "Form and Fashion: How One Idea Can Change the World". B. PHL Innovation Fest. Retrieved 2019-11-04.
  5. "My Runway of Dreams Story By Mindy Scheier". Don't Hide It, Flaunt It. 2016-11-23. Retrieved 2019-11-04.
  6. "HOME". Runway Of Dreams. Retrieved 2019-11-04.
  7. "Mindy Scheier". SXSW 2020 Schedule. Retrieved 2019-11-04.
  8. "Mindy Scheier". Blue Ocean Strategy. 2018-05-02. Retrieved 2019-11-04.
  9. AM, ON January 16, 2019 12:51 (2019-01-16). "Mindy Scheier". Newsweek. Retrieved 2019-11-04.
  10. "NEW CLIENT: RUNWAY OF DREAMS - The Bromley Group". www.the-bromley-group.com. Retrieved 2019-11-04.
  11. "'Mom, I'm sick of you helping me put my clothes on!' It's not natural to do this at my age.': Young woman describes 'frustration' with dressing after being paralyzed, helps others 'find independence'". Love What Matters. 2019-09-24. Retrieved 2019-11-04.
  12. "'I Launched a Nonprofit to Empower People with Disabilities Through Adaptive Clothing'". Time. Retrieved 2019-11-04.
  13. "Spotlight on the Runway of Dreams Foundation". New Jersey Monthly. 2018-11-12. Retrieved 2019-11-04.