Fashion for the blind: a study of perspectives

Abstract

Clothing is a universal aspect of life and a significant form of communication for both the wearer and observer. However, clothing is almost exclusively perceived visually begging the question: "How is beauty in fashion interpreted by those with vision impairments?" We conducted face-to-face interviews and a diary study with eight legally blind participants to gain the perspectives of those with vision impairments on what makes clothing attractive and appealing. Our primary focus was gathering their point-of-view on beauty in clothing but all of the participants also discussed accessibility challenges of clothing and fashion. We report our findings on the major aspects of clothing's appeal to blind wearers as well as the challenges with lack of access and assistive technology. These findings have far-reaching implications for future research within fashion design, interaction design and assistive technology.