‘Clothes are meant to fit you, not the other way around’: N.S. designer creates inclusive clothing line

Maritime woman creates inclusive clothing line in memory of her late brother

Navdeep Parmanand has created an accessible custom clothing line in honour of her late brother who lived with muscular dystrophy.

“You’re going to live on, through the people that I support in my life,” Parmanand told CTV through tears when remembering her brother.

“It’s not that a legacy has ended, even though you’re not here. I am supporting you and I see you in every person that walks into this world.”

Vikas passed away in 2020, inspiring Parmanand to pursue something she always dreamed of.

“It was a lot of grief and a lot of pain for me. After I went through the grief period I was like there is nothing holding me back and I really want to do it,” she said.

With the support from her parents back in India, she began Celebrate Your Curves.

“We create custom clothing for people of all shapes, all sizes and all abilities. So, we have some wool long blazers and we also have custom, made-to-measure full pantsuits as well and then we have introduced our adaptive clothing line last year,” said Parmanand.

The clothes are designed to ensure everyone feels good in what they wear and the accessible pieces include Velcro or magnets instead of buttons.

“If I’m going out and I want to stand out and I want to be just my own self and my own body, I need clothing that fits me,” said Parmanand.

“Clothes are meant to fit you, not the other way around. So that’s what kind of carried me into the fashion industry.”

Parmanand learned to sew on her own at a young age and says creating the custom clothes is a way she is able to give back to the community and also her family.

She designs the clothes and takes custom measurements and then sends them back to India where her aunts have a facility set up to sew the pieces.

“Creating meaningful employment for them and their daughters who are going to school. Because the area that I come from, it’s still very backward, and there’s a lot of focus on boys and girls and differentiation,” she explained.

“So, they create the clothing and I’m very happy to support their employment through this venture.”

Parmanand is working to create a system that allows her customers to take their own measurements in the comfort of their homes.

“I’m also working on a third-party, 3D body measurement tool to be integrated into our website, and I recently got a funding for that,” she said.

She is also joining forces with the Dartmouth Adult Services Centre (DASC) to create clothes and inspire a love of fashion.

“The mission and the purpose is to amplify those voices and then work with people with disabilities,” she explained.

Parmanand is organizing a fashion show event called ‘Beyond the Runway- A Business and fashion Affair.’

“It’s not a normal fashion show or average fashion show. You’re going to see people of all shapes, sizes, ages and abilities. In partnership with DASC, clients will be our models, wheelchair users as well, and they’re going to rock the runway,” she said.

She will be shining the spotlight on other women in business as well.

“We’re going to have about 20 to 25 women entrepreneurs at the booths to create an opportunity for people to come together and support those local women entrepreneurs and innovators that are right in the heart of Halifax,” said Parmanand.

Even with all these things on the go, Parmanand said she’s just beginning.

“I want to open a school someday,” she said.

“Vikas Rehabilitation School or Vikas Memorial School, to support children with special needs.”

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