Camila Chiriboga: Redefining Vision in Fashion
When BFA Fashion Design graduate Camila Chiriboga arrived at Parsons from her native Ecuador, she was an avid Project Runway fan who wanted to “design pretty clothes.” Once at the school however, her passion for fashion led her to something much bigger.
Chiriboga’s interest in designing for people with different abilities was sparked after her freshman year, when she was recovering from kidney surgery and was unable to get dressed by herself. As her interest in inclusive fashion grew, it led to her senior thesis—a line of clothing specifically for the blind and visually impaired. She named it veº—from the Spanish “to see.”
As a sighted person, Chiriboga says, “I couldn’t assume I understood someone else’s lived experience and just start designing.” So she volunteered at a center for the blind, observing how they went about their daily lives and their relationship to clothes. For three months, Chiriboga got dressed while blindfolded. Her research helped her develop a design system for veº that promotes independence and confidence. 3D-printed and embroidered labels are tagged with QR codes that can be scanned with a smartphone so the wearer can listen to a description of the garment and information on wearing and caring for it. Zippers are easy to grasp and positioned on pockets to prevent items from falling out or getting lost. Smart navigation pods embedded in shoes provide vibratory feedback to help users navigate streets safely.
As Chiriboga continues her mission to turn veº into a scalable business, her career has blossomed. A UNIQLO internship brought her to Tokyo for two years. She currently works for CLO, a groundbreaking firm that is innovating apparel design and manufacturing through its 3D garment simulation software. As Chiriboga’s embrace of the new takes her continually into new terrain, she’s bringing the field of fashion along with her.
