Isabella Springmuhl brings inclusive Guatemalan designs to the fashion world

• Author: Manuela Ramos Cacciatore
• Position: Information and Digital Outreach Division, WIPO

Tell us about yourself

Isabella Springmuhl (above) is driven by a desire

to promote diversity and inclusion with her brand,

Down to Xjabelle, and to break stereotypes in the

fashion world.

(Photo: Courtesy of Isabella Springmuhl)

I am just as you see me. I am a designer, singer, daughter and sister, I am very talkative, sociable and fun loving and I am also a young woman with Down syndrome who loves what she does. I often say that the X chromosome is the love chromosome. My disability has made me stronger because I have had to work harder to get where I am. I am working on many projects and have many ambitions both for my brand and personally. My personal dream is to be an example to society and to show how wonderful Guatemala is. It’s one of the world's most textile-rich countries.

Where does your passion for fashion come from?

From a very young age, I wanted to be a fashion designer. My mum tells me that when I was little I spent hours looking at fashion magazines, tracing dresses on paper and making them for my rag dolls. I would play with colors, shapes and textures. This was a foundation for my designs. My maternal grandmother was also a designer, so design runs in my veins. What started as a childhood game has become an entrepreneurial endeavor.

With Down to Xjabelle I want to show that all people with a disability are valued and can achieve whatever we set our minds to do.

What obstacles you have you had to overcome in your career?

The biggest setback was being denied entry to university. I was very angry, but I didn’t give up. I was denied a formal education because of my condition. That was the first time I felt I might not be able to achieve my dreams. But now, I think it's the best thing that could have happened to me. In the end, I studied at a dressmaking academy where I learned how to use my machine, sew, make patterns, make friends and more. There, I realized that there are different ways to achieve what you set out to do.

How have you managed fears that your condition might hinder your dreams?

“I believe that the fashion world must be inclusive,”

says Isabella Springmuhl.

(Photo: Courtesy of Isabella Springmuhl)

My fear of discrimination and rejection because of my condition has never paralyzed me, thanks to the support of my family, my team at Down to Xjabelle and my self-confidence. After all, I have achieved what I always dreamed of. I am happy with my designs and I know that the fashion world is my thing. But sometimes people are...