Myrna Sisson

In my thesis collection, Une Touche D'Or (A touch of gold), I explore the intersection of luxury, desire, accessibility, and inclusivity in fashion by integrating poetry printed in braille into a luxurious collection of hand-sculpted jewelry inspired by the honeybee. My pieces represent flowing honey frozen in motion. The motif of dripping gold serves as a visual and conceptual anchor, representing power and desire, with a nod to Napoleon, who used a bee as his emblem. Expanding on a braille labeling case study, I challenge the dichotomy between luxury, which is all too often synonymous with exclusivity, and accessibility, which is closely associated with inclusivity. Integrating braille as an aesthetic and communicative tool into products adds an extra level of sensory experience. Clients do not just wear the product; they interact with it, by touching it, feeling it, and embodying it. The point is to empower the wearer by allowing them to enjoy the experience of fashion, regardless of where on the vision spectrum they are.

I believe the aspirational value of luxury is not compromised when it is coupled with accessibility. Items designed in this way offer social benefits, chief among them the challenge they present to the marginalization of people with disabilities. I believe that companies and designers can integrate elements that allow for accessibility (braille labels, image descriptions, tactile sketches, etc.) and thereby improve return on investment by broadening the market, expanding awareness, promoting dialogue around disability and design, and fostering goodwill. At the heart of this collection is the philosophy of performative function: The pieces enable wearers to express themselves through fashion. My collection is aimed at dazzling viewers while allowing wearers of all visual abilities to feel desirable, powerful, and elegant.