Nathalie Balmain is Changing the Lives of Diabetics in Literal Style
- Haley Snyder
- Jul 3, 2017
- 3 min read
Last month, Nathalie Balmain, a fashionista who previously worked for the British National Health Service, launched a new clothing company called “Type One Clothing.” A type one diabetic herself, she founded this organization to create trendy designs for outfits that allow people with diabetes to more easily administer their insulin injections in public.
Balmain has had diabetes since she was twenty-years-old. She told Millennial Trash her story:
To go from being a carefree 20 year old to suddenly having to take daily injections, blood test and self-manage this condition that could potentially end my life at any time was devastating. I had a nervous breakdown and was out of work for months, and because I wasn't able to go out partying all the time like I used to, a number of (supposed) friends just stopped calling me.
She’s not alone. Here in America, nearly thirty-million people have diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. Additionally, eighty-six-million Americans have what’s known as “prediabetes,” or “borderline diabetes,” meaning that their blood sugar is higher than it should be, but not quite yet high enough to be considered diabetic.
What this means is that, if a person has diabetes, their body has trouble digesting sugar for energy. In a healthy body, the pancreas will send a chemical called “insulin” throughout the body’s bloodstream. This chemical tells the body’s tissues that it’s time to absorb and use sugar. If someone is a type 1 diabetic, that means that their body isn’t producing insulin, so their body isn’t absorbing the energy from food that it needs to survive.
However, just because the disease is common, doesn’t mean that most people understand what it is, or what it’s like to live with diabetes. Balmain didn’t even meet another person with diabetes until four years after her initial diagnosis. No one in her family, or circle of friends, had ever had the disease.
And the disease still carries a lot of stigma. “So many people are so misinformed about diabetes,” says Balmain.
It really is the most widely known and least understood condition out there - which just adds to your feelings of self-consciousness. [...] I still get asked if I have the 'bad' kind of diabetes, what I did to 'give myself' the condition and have I tried eating cinnamon to cure it.
When she finally started to meet others with diabetes, the things that once scared her no longer seemed so threatening; now, website sells t-shirts that say “dia-tribe,” so that people with diabetes can identify each other, and not feel so alone.
Since then, Balmain has been working on and investing her own money into Type One Clothing ceaselessly for two years. After all of her dedication, she says that “it was just so surreal to see my designs come to life [...]”
Each outfit she makes is deeply personal. She draws inspiration for her attire from her diabetic friends, and names each article of clothing after someone important in her life. For example, Type One Clothing’s jumpsuit, “Kiran,” is named after Balmain’s late mother.
The clothes are designed with zippers and cut-outs that open to the skin, making garments both fashionable and functional by allowing the wearer to inject their insulin without having to get undressed. This is a huge deal for diabetics, as Balmain explains:
I inject 6 or more times a day and you have to move your injection site around so that you don't build up scar tissue, so trying to find a new spot to do each one can be tricky, especially when your clothes don't allow for easy access to your thighs or stomach!
Currently, Type One only has one line of clothing, which is designed for women. Balmain however, says that she’s planning on designing clothing for men, children, and teenagers with diabetes as well. The brand will even expand to include sportswear.
But the goals of Type One Clothing go far beyond apparel that makes the lives of diabetics easier. Five percent of the company’s profits go towards global diabetes research. “If you don't feel happy with something,” says Balmain,
whether it's your medical treatment, the way people react to you in public, or the clothes you wear - do something about it! Sometimes if you can't see a positive you just have to create the positive for yourself.
That’s why the ultimate goal of the company is to cure diabetes by funding medical studies.
To check out Type One Clothing’s premiere line, visit t1clothing.com. There, you will also find Nathalie Balmains blog, where she makes regular updates about the brand, and her own experiences with diabetes.
Haley Snyder
A graduate of the New School's Eugene Lang College of the Liberal Arts, and the founder of Millennial Trash. [she/her]
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