Toyin Lawani is the founder of Tiannah Styling and Tiannah Fashion Academy, along side other businesses.
We have been talking about people with disability being included in employment opportunity and she shared an inspiring story on how one of her tailors who is speech and hearing impaired, has grown over the years under her tutelage.
She writes (The original write up has been edited for easier reading):
"I'm sure the world knows who my Gladys is,she's been with me for years now;she can't speak nor hear, she's mute but I trained her via @tiannahstylingfashionacademy. She brings out my male designs & trousers perfectly, she's made clothes I styled Wizkid, Davido,Vector, Sean Tizzle etc in. All I do is sketch & explain to her in our coded language I developed with her over the years.
"She sews my reversible jackets, zipper pants, Agbada etc, to perfection. I used to reject her jobs & tell her to redo it, I told her finishing is the most important aspect of designing, she kept trying & she got it, no matter how difficult that design is,she will get it & help me bring my vision to light.
"I can sew but it takes too much time, so I focus on coming up with designs for my clients, pass it onto my tailors & sit with them to bring it out, over the years, she destroyed my clothes, but I was patient with her. Then I found out her strength was in male designs, due to her sons, she's constantly making clothes for them, from my leftover pieces at my studio, she got an opportunity to go for a competition in France to show her vocational skills,.
"I was meant to take her myself, but I got ill & no one else can relate designs to her except me, she's a tailor not a designer, I sketch for her, she creates with my directions, I didn't learn sign language but I have a bond with her, so I know when she's in a mood.
"They saw my video of her while she was creating a piece for me but unfortunately it was the period I had my fibroid surgery. The day I was discharged from the hospital, I found out a stupid security guard few blocks away from my empire, raped her. The other tailors said she's been down & withdrawn, she opened up when I asked her why. He had grabbed her on her way home, put something over her nose & she passed out. He raped her there till morning and released her, promising to marry her, she told me ALL.
"I couldn't walk well but went through with her and made sure they picked up the guy and put him in jail. Gladys husband who lives in Togo, showed up and said he can't sleep with Gladys again, that it's against his tradition. I went through hell while she was pregnant for her last boy, she was so ill, she couldn't work but I took her into my home and took care of her till her due date. Nowadays she's always moody, she doesn't have a man and she's sad. I really want to help her find a good man.
No comments:
Post a Comment