Pictured from left to right: Shennie and Yu Peng from JOURNEY by TOUCH Community Services, Sor Chin from MINDS, Anseina Eliza from ANS.EIN, Emily Ong from SG Enable, and Yimei from MINDS at the i’mable Collective x Design Orchard Capsule Collection’s launch.

Anseina Eliza, co-founder and designer of ANS.EIN, had a clear vision for her contribution to the i’mable Collective x Design Orchard Capsule Collection. A partnership between i’mable Collective and the Singapore Fashion Council, this capsule collection is the result of a Call for Collaboration launched in January 2024. It invited Singapore designers to train and hire persons with disabilities to co-create a unique collection and promote inclusivity in the design sector.

What started as a simple idea—to merge design with inclusivity—became a powerful testament to what persons with disabilities can achieve when given the right opportunities.

For Anseina, the initiative resonated deeply with her philosophy that “everyone is an artist.” Her designs have always championed inclusivity, and this project offered her a chance to embody that belief fully. She envisioned a collection that embraced diversity, and conceptualised designs that intentionally involved makers with disabilities.

To ensure accessibility, Anseina developed a method that cut out sewing from one part of the design process. The innovative approach utilised interlocking modular pieces of fabric scraps, enabling makers to contribute directly to the co-creation process. 

Anseina teaching Yimei and Sor Chin how to interlock fabric scraps to form a pattern

Through i’mable Collective, Anseina collaborated with four makers – Sor Chin and Yimei from MINDS, as well as Shennie and Yu Peng from JOURNEY by TOUCH Community Services. With guidance on training and employment approaches from SG Enable, the team embarked on a meaningful journey of co-creation. ANS.EIN utilised the Place-and-Train approach, in which makers received on-the-job training to learn how to interlock the fabric scraps while applying basic principles of colour and design, adding their personal artistic flair to the final pieces.

Pieces from the Treashure collection by ANS.EIN, which include her signature Kebaya jacket

“I call this capsule collection Treashure, a blend of ‘treasure’ and ‘trash,’” Anseina explains. “We took fabric scraps that people regard as trash, but we upcycle it and process it to become treasured pieces. Each maker carefully selected the patterns and colours, and combined the fabric scraps piece by piece, by hand, to create a beautiful fabric.”

Sor Chin interlocking fabric squares to form her own patterned fabric

Shennie (left) and Yu Peng (right) creating their own patterns from the fabric squares

This experience was not only a creative outlet but also a significant milestone for the makers. As Sor Chin and Yimei expressed, “I’m happy that I get to work.” Yu Peng, in a heartfelt message of encouragement, added, “If I can do it, you can do it.”

This collaboration exemplifies the power of design to inspire inclusion and create meaningful opportunities, proving that when creativity meets purpose, the results are truly extraordinary.