AXSChat Podcast with Mindy Scheier from Gamut Talent Management
03/27/20 • 36 min
Before starting the Runway of Dreams Foundation (RoDF) in 2014, Mindy Scheier spent 20 years working in fashion on the design team for the INC collection and as a stylist for Saks Fifth Avenue.
Mindy was inspired to start RoDF after her son Oliver, who has Muscular Dystrophy, dreamed of wearing jeans like everyone else. After using her design skills to adapt a pair that met his needs and increased his confidence, she went on to conduct extensive research to develop modifications that would meet the needs of the largest minority in our world- people with disabilities. The clothing modifications she developed include alternate closures, adjustability and alternative ways to get in and out of the clothing. Following its launch, RoDF partnered with Tommy Hilfiger on the first mainstream adaptive clothing line for kids in 2016.
Founded on the basis that clothing is a basic human need, RoDF develops, delivers and supports initiatives to broaden the reach of mainstream adaptive clothing and promote people with disabilities in the fashion industry. Through adaptive clothing donations, employment opportunity initiatives, adaptive design workshops, adaptive fashion shows, wardrobe grants, awareness building campaigns and scholarship programs, RoDF is empowering people with disabilities in style. Mindy serves as a consultant for Tommy Adaptive, is a member of the Advisory Council for Zappos Adaptive and works to educate many other fashion brands on the population of people with disabilities. Envisioning a world where fashion is mainstream and accessible for all, Mindy continues to break down barriers and challenge industry norms.
In 2019, Mindy created Gamut Talent Management to represent people with disabilities and create a marketplace where businesses and industries can connect to this target audience. Gamut is rebranding the way PWDs are viewed, marketed to and represented in the mainstream world. The continued support of the mission of Runway of Dreams will always be a component of Gamut, as the company’s 501c3 partner.
Mindy has been featured in Newsweek’s “The Creative Class of 2019: Innovators,” People magazine’s “Heroes Among Us,” and Pix 11’s “Changemaker: Making the Fashion Industry More Inclusive.” She has also been featured in USA Today, Parents, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Vogue Business, WWD, NBC’s Today, ABC’s Good Morning America, Access, CNBC, Fox News Channel and more.
An inspiring TED speaker, Mindy has received numerous awards including the Catalyst Award for “Marketing Influencer of the Year,” Citrin Cooperman’s “Women at the Wheel Leadership Excellence Award, the Association of Image Consultants International Bravo Award and Enable Inc.’s Michael
Follow axschat on social media.
Bluesky:
Antonio https://bsky.app/profile/akwyz.com
Debra https://bsky.app/profile/debraruh.bsky.social
Neil https://bsky.app/profile/neilmilliken.bsky.social
axschat https://bsky.app/profile/axschat.bsky.social
LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/antoniovieirasantos/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/axschat/
Vimeo
https://vimeo.com/akwyz
https://twitter.com/axschat
https://twitter.com/AkwyZ
https://twitter.com/neilmilliken
https://twitter.com/debraruh
Before starting the Runway of Dreams Foundation (RoDF) in 2014, Mindy Scheier spent 20 years working in fashion on the design team for the INC collection and as a stylist for Saks Fifth Avenue.
Mindy was inspired to start RoDF after her son Oliver, who has Muscular Dystrophy, dreamed of wearing jeans like everyone else. After using her design skills to adapt a pair that met his needs and increased his confidence, she went on to conduct extensive research to develop modifications that would meet the needs of the largest minority in our world- people with disabilities. The clothing modifications she developed include alternate closures, adjustability and alternative ways to get in and out of the clothing. Following its launch, RoDF partnered with Tommy Hilfiger on the first mainstream adaptive clothing line for kids in 2016.
Founded on the basis that clothing is a basic human need, RoDF develops, delivers and supports initiatives to broaden the reach of mainstream adaptive clothing and promote people with disabilities in the fashion industry. Through adaptive clothing donations, employment opportunity initiatives, adaptive design workshops, adaptive fashion shows, wardrobe grants, awareness building campaigns and scholarship programs, RoDF is empowering people with disabilities in style. Mindy serves as a consultant for Tommy Adaptive, is a member of the Advisory Council for Zappos Adaptive and works to educate many other fashion brands on the population of people with disabilities. Envisioning a world where fashion is mainstream and accessible for all, Mindy continues to break down barriers and challenge industry norms.
In 2019, Mindy created Gamut Talent Management to represent people with disabilities and create a marketplace where businesses and industries can connect to this target audience. Gamut is rebranding the way PWDs are viewed, marketed to and represented in the mainstream world. The continued support of the mission of Runway of Dreams will always be a component of Gamut, as the company’s 501c3 partner.
Mindy has been featured in Newsweek’s “The Creative Class of 2019: Innovators,” People magazine’s “Heroes Among Us,” and Pix 11’s “Changemaker: Making the Fashion Industry More Inclusive.” She has also been featured in USA Today, Parents, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Vogue Business, WWD, NBC’s Today, ABC’s Good Morning America, Access, CNBC, Fox News Channel and more.
An inspiring TED speaker, Mindy has received numerous awards including the Catalyst Award for “Marketing Influencer of the Year,” Citrin Cooperman’s “Women at the Wheel Leadership Excellence Award, the Association of Image Consultants International Bravo Award and Enable Inc.’s Michael
Follow axschat on social media.
Bluesky:
Antonio https://bsky.app/profile/akwyz.com
Debra https://bsky.app/profile/debraruh.bsky.social
Neil https://bsky.app/profile/neilmilliken.bsky.social
axschat https://bsky.app/profile/axschat.bsky.social
LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/antoniovieirasantos/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/axschat/
Vimeo
https://vimeo.com/akwyz
https://twitter.com/axschat
https://twitter.com/AkwyZ
https://twitter.com/neilmilliken
https://twitter.com/debraruh
Previous Episode
AXSChat Podcast with Martyn Sibley from Disability Horizons.
A podcast hosted by Antonio Santos, Neil Milliken and Debra Ruh.
Martyn Sibley
Envisioning an inclusive world through digital influence, Martyn leverages his unique story of disability along with the Disability Horizons community he Co-founded, all to support brands with inclusive influencer marketing campaigns.
He's also been voted Britain’s third most influential disabled person, authoring the travel memoir Everything is Possible, and co-founding an accessible travel business which sold to Airbnb.
Martyn manages daily life with a severe physical disability, living with his fiance and Golden Retriever, and enjoying soccer and music festivals when work allows him to.
Follow axschat on social media.
Bluesky:
Antonio https://bsky.app/profile/akwyz.com
Debra https://bsky.app/profile/debraruh.bsky.social
Neil https://bsky.app/profile/neilmilliken.bsky.social
axschat https://bsky.app/profile/axschat.bsky.social
LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/antoniovieirasantos/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/axschat/
Vimeo
https://vimeo.com/akwyz
https://twitter.com/axschat
https://twitter.com/AkwyZ
https://twitter.com/neilmilliken
https://twitter.com/debraruh
Next Episode
AXSChat Podcast recorded in 2019 with Judith (Judy) Heumann, a former Special Advisor for International Disability Rights at the US Department of State from 2010-2017
Hosted by Antonio Vieira Santos, Debra Ruh and Neil Milliken
Judith Ellen Heumann "Judy" (born December 18, 1947) is an American disability rights activist. She is recognized internationally as a leader in the disability community. Heumann is a lifelong civil rights advocate for people with disabilities. Her work with governments and non-governmental organizations, non-profits, and various other disability interest groups, has produced significant contributions since the 1970s to the development of human rights legislation and policies benefiting children and adults with disabilities. Through her work in the World Bank and the State Department, Heumann led the mainstreaming of disability rights into international development. Her contributions extended the international reach of the independent living movement
Heumann's commitment to disability rights stems from her personal experiences. She had polio at the age of 18 months and has used a wheelchair for most of her life. Heumann had to fight repeatedly to be included in the educational system. The local public school refused to allow her to attend, calling her a fire hazard. Instead, for three years she was given home instruction twice a week for about an hour each visit. Heumann's mother, Ilsa Heumann, a community activist in her own right, challenged the decision. Judy was then allowed to go to a special school in the fourth grade for disabled children. Per city policy, it was understood Judy would return to home instruction for high school. Judy's mother rallied against this policy with other parents who put enough pressure on the school to reverse the policy. Judy entered high school in 1961.
She attended Camp Jened, a camp for kids with disabilities, in Hunter, New York every summer from ages 9 to 18. Heumann's experience of camp brought her a greater awareness of the connected of disabled experience "We had the same joy together, the same anger over the way we were treated and the same frustrations at opportunities we didn't have."[2] It was there that she met Bobbi Linn and Freida Tankus, who she would later work with as disability rights activists.[3]
Follow axschat on social media.
Bluesky:
Antonio https://bsky.app/profile/akwyz.com
Debra https://bsky.app/profile/debraruh.bsky.social
Neil https://bsky.app/profile/neilmilliken.bsky.social
axschat https://bsky.app/profile/axschat.bsky.social
LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/antoniovieirasantos/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/axschat/
Vimeo
https://vimeo.com/akwyz
https://twitter.com/axschat
https://twitter.com/AkwyZ
https://twitter.com/neilmilliken
https://twitter.com/debraruh
If you like this episode you’ll love
Episode Comments
Generate a badge
Get a badge for your website that links back to this episode
<a href="https://goodpods.com/podcasts/axschat-podcast-210737/axschat-podcast-with-mindy-scheier-from-gamut-talent-management-22771306"> <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/goodpods-images-bucket/badges/generic-badge-1.svg" alt="listen to axschat podcast with mindy scheier from gamut talent management on goodpods" style="width: 225px" /> </a>
Copy