At last, a swimwear line specifically designed for women with disfigurement

María Luisa Mendiola – Although she loves fashion, from finance to fashion, she graduated from the prestigious design school Central Saint Martins, but fashion does not seem to like her or other people who are disfigured in some way.
Mendiola has brachymetatarsia (or stunted tibia), in her case she has shortened the fourth toe on her foot. A few years ago, when a friend asked Mendiola what was wrong with her toes, she decided to solve the problem of fashion inclusiveness.
“I was very uncomfortable and quickly changed the theme,” Mendiola said in an interview. “I remember thinking: How was it possible when I was 25? When someone asked me about my feet, I still do this? I suddenly realized that no matter how old I am, this problem will always arise. Therefore, I decided to My master is concentrated in Central Saint Martin, looking for ways to reduce the shame of disfigured communities.”
MaríaLuisa Mendiola left, behind the scenes of MIGA Swimwear’s latest event
MaríaLuisa Mendiola, left, behind the scenes of Veronica Li, the latest campaign for MIGA Swimwear
According to a survey conducted by British charity Change Faces on young people between the ages of 7 and 17, one in ten young people with physical differences expressed frustration with their appearance, one in five young People have obvious differences and avoid being in the photo. In addition, one in six young people completely avoid public appearances.
Mendiola found that thoughtful swimwear design and fascinating storytelling can help women feel more comfortable with visual differences and create something similar to sisterhood. Then, the earliest iteration of MIGA Swimwear was born.
Through the brand’s Kickstarter fundraising campaign, Mendiola is preparing to launch the brand’s first purchaseable series, working with three burning survivors to meet their needs. For example, one of their volunteers had burn scars on their right and right legs, so they created a one-shoulder suit and covered her with a cover.
According to Mendiola, each swimsuit is equipped with a matching bag that details the story behind the disfigurement “as a way to help our volunteers overcome stigma by sharing their stories and as a kind of Ways to raise awareness of disfigured life in our non-disfigured customers. “These fabrics are all made from recycled nylon and treated with SPF 50. The size of the swimsuit is XS to 3XL.
Mendiola recognizes the complexity of living in some form of disfigurement as a community. She said: “There is no disfigured community in the United States as its own entity.” “It is often mixed with the disabled community, which can be misleading because not all people with defects are considered disabled by the law.”
Mendiola cited organizations such as the Phoenix Burn Survivors Association and the National Eczema Association to build communities for specific types of disfigured people, but pointed out that no organization has brought together all types of disfigurement.
But for Mendiola, one thing in common is the common experience of coexistence with disfigurement and the general shame that individuals face. Sometimes this shame is internalized.
“When I started this project in Central Saint Martin, I had the opportunity to work not only with burn survivors, but also with a woman with facial paralysis and another woman with scoliosis,” she said. Says: “I quickly discovered that what type of disfigurement you have is not important, and the experience is very similar. Working with a different type of disfigured group to help all participants, including myself, reduces our stigma for disfigurement. ”
In the future, Mendiola believes that MIGA Swimwear is moving to other categories, such as women’s vacation apparel, ready-to-wear and final men’s fashion. “I also saw that the company has its own charity, focusing on creating seminars on how to deal with disfigured courses and how to deal with changes in appearance or job discrimination,” she said.
But Mendiola will soon notice that MIGA Swimwear is not going to wear a swimsuit, but to feel its empowerment. “One of our London volunteers has not returned to the pool since she burned. After we worked together, we went back to the pool and claimed that she was proud and confident when she was wearing a swimsuit. Another of our volunteers got through our cooperation. Authorization has become an advocate for disfigured communities. Ultimately, our goal is to create a brand for disfigured and dissatisfied women.