Natalie Trevonne was only 11 years old when she started losing her eyesight due to juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Eventually, she realized that the disease was attacking her eyes to such a significant degree that things in her life would change forever.
And they did. Trevonne would go on to co-found a clothing brand to "bridge the gap between disability and the fashion industry."
She designed a physical clothing line, Not Your Inspiration, also known as NYI, in partnership with digital artist Ernest Spicer and entrepreneur Tiffany Reiss, to make fashion accessible to everyone, especially those who are blind or have low vision.
"NYI is all about textures because, as a blind woman, that's how I identify my clothing," Trevonne said. "I want people to be able to go into their wardrobe without having to see and feel it and know what's what. It makes the process so much easier."
Although the clothing line "isn't just for blind and low-vision people, I wanted to make sure that they were included and that they felt like this was a collection that they could be a part of," Trevonne added.
The road to creating her brand wasn't easy. But as distraught as Trevonne was during the early years battling the disease, she told FOX Business that it became clear she would do "greater things" as a blind person than she ever would as a sighted person.
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Juvenile idiopathic arthritis is the most common type of arthritis in children under the age of 16, according to the Mayo Clinic. The disease can cause persistent joint pain, swelling and stiffness and can lead to serious complications, such as growth problems, joint damage and eye inflammation.
The road to creating her brand wasn't easy. But as distraught as Trevonne was during the early years battling the disease, she told FOX Business that it became clear she would do "greater things" as a blind person than she ever would as a sighted person.
Trevonne – who mostly sported a t-shirt and jeans growing up – received hurtful comments in high school because she refused to cover her eyes and hide her disease.
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"I had a lot of that hurt still going into college. And so I was like, ‘I got to find something that will connect me with my peers.’ And that's really when I got into fashion," Trevonne said. "I loved going into the store and feeling different fabrics and textures and putting different styles together and really expressing myself in fashion."
Not only did it help her connect with peers, but she realized that she was able to help break the stereotype that a person who is blind or who has low vision can't dress themselves or be fashionable, she said.
Trevonne's line, which so far encompasses 11 pieces, debuted in October at a fully inclusive and accessible fashion show in Los Angeles.
She made it a point to ensure that the show was wheelchair accessible and had ASL interpreting and audio descriptions. About 30% of the models had disabilities, and Trevonne closed the show in her very own design.
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Trevonne has far greater goals than just creating a physical collection. She wants to create more opportunities for people with disabilities in fashion and, eventually, establish a nonprofit that offers fashion and beauty workshops.
"A lot of times people will tell me, 'Well, Natalie, I don't know how to maintain my wardrobe. I don't even know what to wear to an interview. Like no one's taught me those things, or I don't even know how to do basic makeup to prepare me to do a presentation," she said.
She wants to help solve those problems, too.
