Student merges passion for disability advocacy and fashion in winning project

On a break from driving her campus bus route, Ephese Germain received a one-word text from her friend: CONGRATULATIONS!

Confused at first, Germain searched the friend’s screenshot for a few seconds before seeing her name as a recipient of a $10,000 scholarship from the Fashion Scholarship Fund.

The FSF’s Virgil Abloh “Post-Modern” Scholarship, awarded to promising undergraduates of Black, African-American or African descent, includes a complimentary trip to New York City and networking opportunities with industry leaders at the FSF Gala.

Germain was one of six fashion merchandising students from the College of Family and Consumer Sciences to earn scholarships for their winning submissions in the FSF case study competition.

“I was just screaming,” she said, laughing. “Fortunately there was nobody on the bus because I was just freaking out. Obviously, I thought my work was quality enough to win, but you never expect yourself to win and you don’t know what to do when you’re in that moment.”

Students in the competition were to build case studies addressing what advanced digital technologies will mean for the fashion industry.

Germain settled on how technology like AI is reshaping assistive apparel. Her research showed a reluctance among fashion brands to produce specifically tailored garments and accessories for people with disabilities due to the risk of profit loss.

Technological advances, including AI fitting technology and body scanning that allows customers to “try on” clothes without leaving home, have the potential to address the growing need for more assistive apparel.

Germain’s sketches for the case study included adjustable waistbands, long-sleeved tops with wrist guards for wheelchair users, compression socks and stylish medical accessories like an ostomy bag and a skeletal knee brace.

Germain said the fashion industry is slowly evolving to include different body types and special needs in both runways and product offerings.

“In general, fashion is becoming more progressive in that sense and finally being a little bit more inclusive,” she said.

While Germain does not have a disability, she has long been interested in assistive technology and being an advocate for people with disabilities.

Last semester, she served as a note taker for UGA Accessibility and Testing, formerly the Disability Resource Center.

The designs she created for the case study were inspired by a British designer, Destiny Pinto, who lives with rheumatoid arthritis and creates designer devices that have a less clinical appearance.

“I heard somebody say this once, but (being a person with a disability) is the only minority group anybody can become a part of at any time,” she said. “I would hope that through my work, no matter where I end up in the industry, I can develop more assistive and adaptive technology.”

Germain’s introduction to the fashion world came through her mother, a seamstress in her native Haiti.

“She made my prom dress and things like that,” Germain said. “I would just see her designs and be inspired and I’d think ‘Oh, I’d love to be able to make things.’ ”

Since being in the FACS program, she has developed an interest in every aspect of the industry, from designing to styling to production and research.

Germain said she hopes to leverage the networking trip to New York in April to secure an internship that would shed some light on possible career paths prior to her graduation in December.

“I find myself being a little bit of a jack of all trades,” she said. “I just want to be open-minded because I’m really open to a lot of different opportunities.”