The Covering LLC, established in January 2018 by Ameela Boyd, was created to empower and style women of color who are still dealing with remnants of trauma due to domestic violence. The holistic fashion therapy program will allow healing, strengthening, and skill-building. Most importantly, it will focus on adorning women from the inside out by impacting their spiritual, physical, and emotional well-being.
Ameela Boyd was inspired to start the Healing by Dezigns program because of her own lived experience. She was a domestic violence victim and homeless mother with two kids and no family or friends to turn to for support. Through her struggles, she realized how important narratives of strength, resilience, hope and encouragement could be for women in the same situation. So, she shared her story in the hopes of empowering women to “find their own voice.” Then, while completing her bachelor’s degree in fashion design at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh in 2017, she decided to combine her expertise and her personal testimony to create a program that could “adorn women from the inside out.” It took Ameela over three years to fine tune, research and seek funding for the program, to be able to offer the service to those who are eligible for free.
Not only does the program bring together women who have experienced domestic violence to learn from and support each other, it also encourages creative expression through art, fashion and design and nurtures positive self-image.
What we do!
We combine creative healing strategies and techniques using elements of art, fashion, and design, to encourage women to step out of their normality and become intentional about their healing. We explore the importance of holistic healing while engaging in imperative conversations addressing self-image, vulnerability, cultivating emotional resilience, mental wellness, and more. Each course is specifically designed to serve the women while assisting them on their healing journey so that they can be the pillar of strength that they were created to be.
Here is how it works:
- First, we recruit participants through a variety of social service agencies and by word of mouth.
- Then, potential participants are interviewed to learn more about their stories and see if the program is a good fit for them.
- The women are taken on a journey through art, fashion, and design, garnering new strategies and techniques to heal while learning to create a masterpiece. Art pieces that reflect who they were and are, and where they aspire to be. These pieces inform the creation of a custom garment, designed and crafted by the women with the guidance of Ameela.
- The garment is created and fitted, and women in the program are gifted with a head-to-toe makeover.
- The program concludes with an art and fashion show in order to showcase the participants’ work.
Throughout the process, and with the participant’s permission, the women’s stories are documented and shared with The Covering’s networks to empower and encourage other women to share their stories.
