Ms. Nikki Hind, a blind fashion designer in Australia, said that until now, many people still burst out laughing when she told them about her work.
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| Blind Australian fashion designer Nikki Hind. Photo: ABC |
“It’s still a real irony for them, obviously,” she said, admitting that while she was incredibly proud to be the first recognised blind fashion designer in Australia, people’s reactions still left her shocked and disappointed.
“With fashion, it's 98% feeling.”
“When you put on an outfit and look in the mirror, you actually don’t even look at it for the rest of the day… 98% of an outfit is how it makes you feel,” Nikki shares a comment that may surprise many people because it seems “so true.”
She was not born blind. Disaster struck in her early 30s when she was pregnant with her first child. At that time, Nikki suffered a stroke and lost 50% of her vision in both eyes. Since giving birth, the stroke has also left her permanently blind, with only very poor vision.
It was also at this time that a series of other events occurred, she struggled financially and felt lonely and anxious. But then this courageous woman decided to redefine herself and find meaning in what she was doing. “I didn’t want to live in gloom forever, so I decided to pursue a dream, something that would inspire and create me so I could focus on it. Fashion design has always been where I felt happy and creative. As a child, I used to lie on the floor and watch award shows, with a drawing board and pencil in hand, dreaming that my designs would one day be awarded like that,” she recalled.
“Designing fashion reconnects me to the most beautiful parts of myself – feelings of possibility, purpose, joy, excitement, passion, optimism. I decided that if I was going to do this, I would bring as many other people along as I could who needed to reconnect with their dreams, and that’s how the idea for Blind Grit was born,” Nikki adds about why she created Blind Grit, a comfortable style that is suitable for sports but still sexy and beautiful for other activities.
According to Nikki, the people working for Blind Grit are photographers, graphic designers, and makeup artists who are still living with physical disabilities after accidents or events. “I want to change people’s perceptions and views of people with disabilities,” Nikki said.
Go to book page
With all her hard work and achievements, it was no surprise last weekend when ABC Australia announced that Nikki Hind would be one of the characters chosen to be featured in the first braille book series called “Big Visions” produced and distributed in Australia’s most popular bookstores. This is a braille book series for children produced by Vision Australia to introduce a variety of different professions.
Following the release of her first book about blind surfer Matt Formston in March, Nikki Hind’s book will be released in September. In preparation for the event, Nikki is also working on a new collection that will be released at the same time. “Being part of a movement that is working to bring equal access to dreams and inspiration for children with disabilities is a huge thing for me,” Nikki said.
“We want to make sure that people who are blind or visually impaired are not seen as a hindrance or different,” added Vildana Praljak, librarian at Vision Australia, about the purpose of the Big Visions series.
Praljak also emphasized that Nikki’s story is a prime example of how blind people can overcome barriers and the notion that blind people shouldn’t or can’t do things. “Nikki completely changed that space,” Praljak said.
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