Watch the disabled beauty and fashion vlogger who is launching her own clothing brand
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Disabled beauty and fashion vlogger is launching her own clothing brand for people of all shapes and sizes.
Ellie Darby-Prangnell, from Essex, UK, is disabled as she suffers from a genetic condition called Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) which makes her unable to move.
18-year-old Ellie told Barcroft TV: “When I was born there were no signs of SMA. But as I started to grow my mum noticed that there was something wrong because I couldn’t walk. Over time I have lost a lot of strength.”
Ellie’s mother, Kim Darby said that Ellie used to stand up till she was 13 months old and then all of a sudden her knee used to start to buckle.
Kim Darby said: “She’s lost hand strength, she has lost her head control, it’s made harder for her to breath and eat. But she gets on with it, she rolls with it, that’s what we do.”
Ellie added: “I want people to know I’m just the same as everyone else, just because I might need to have people helping me to dress or put my shoes on, but it doesn’t mean that I’m that much different from anyone else really.”
Ellie has her own YouTube channel and loves sharing makeup and beauty tutorials on her YouTube channel.
Ellie said: “I can do my makeup myself which is something that I love and I am very lucky to still be able to do it. I am not able to do my own foundation on the skin, I can do things like bronzer and concealer but anything that involves reaching the whole of my face I am not able to do.”
“I have gradually lost that strength so luckily all of my PAs are very good at makeup which is definitely a part of the job.”
The 18-year-old, who works at a clothing shop and volunteers for an autism charity, now wants to launch her own fashion brand for people of all shapes and sizes. She wants to name the clothing brand ‘Melting Pot Threads’.
Ellie said: “I went to college and I studied fashion for two years and I absolutely loved it. When I was about 14, I decided that it would be quite cool to start my own brand.”
“I did some work experience at Diesel HQ and we were chatting about disability in the fashion industry and it kind of sparked from there.”
“My brand is focused including everyone, making really colourful clothes. I know from personal experiences it’s so hard to get clothes that fit you and would look good.”
“I would like to create a range of clothes for people in wheelchairs because things for disabled people aren’t just made the same.”