College student turns medical devices into fashion accessories
Destiny Pinto a college student diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis started a fashion brand that transforms assistive medical devices into stylish accessories Her goal is to destigmatize these devices and boost representation in fashion
About three years back Destiny Pinto got news she had rheumatoid arthritis. She was just starting college and needed compression gear to help with pain. At first she used weightlifting gloves‚ but they were big and ugly with a dumb saying on them.
The gloves didnt match her clothes and people kept asking about them. This made her feel bad about her condition which can make joints hurt and swell. So‚ she decided to make her own gloves that looked good and helped with pain.
Now Destiny runs a company that makes medical stuff like ostomy bags and hearing aids look cool. She wants to help people feel better about using these things and show more people with disabilities in fashion.
Destiny works with her friend Nikola Nadozirna‚ who got an ostomy bag couple years ago. Nikola didnt like it at first‚ which is common. Many people worry about having one especially young folks who get diagnosed with bowel problems.
The World Health Organization says over 2.5 billion people use assistive tech and that number will go up as people get older. By next year the market for this stuff could be worth $24.4 billion.
Destiny designs things like:
- Fancy gloves with buckles or lace
- Cool covers for ostomy bags
- Stylish walking sticks
- Nice-looking chest binders
She talks to people who use these things to make sure her designs work well. When she cant buy expensive stuff like fake legs‚ she uses computer programs to make 3D models.
Lots of people like Destinyʼs designs on social media. Some say it gives them hope if they might need an ostomy bag. Others suggest new ideas like covers for insulin pumps.
Destiny wants her products in stores soon. She hopes to keep showing how important these devices are and make them look good too
