Luke’s fashion mission to make a difference for deaf community

When it comes to breaking down stigmas, Luke Christian, the founder of innovative new clothing brand Deaf Identity, is doing it with style.

The 26-year-old from Harrogate, who was born deaf, launched the label last September, marrying his love of fashion with his ongoing mission of raising deaf awareness.

Deaf Identity strives to show there is no right or wrong way of being deaf via its all-inclusive, diverse range of clothing that can be personalised with British Sign Language.

“Being deaf is genetic within my family,” says Luke. “My mum is deaf as well as my sister and it goes back at least five generations, from my great-great-grandmother to my second cousins, the list goes on. Being deaf is all I’ve ever known and it’s something I wouldn’t ever change, but with it, there has always been challenges.”

Growing up, Luke says people would often give their opinion on how deaf they thought he was, and how he should act – some individuals even questioning if he was deaf at all because of his ability to have a conversation.

“I got used to ignorant remarks such as ‘Well you don’t sound deaf’ or ‘I’m fed up of repeating myself, turn your hearing aids up’,” he says.

“I felt that I didn’t know which world I belonged in, and I also didn’t have anybody who was deaf to look up to in the public eye or mainstream media.”

Luke, who is also a social media influencer, YouTuber and runs his own male grooming and lifestyle blog mrlukechristian.com, adds how in a world which is now embracing diversity and equality, he feels there is still a lot lacking when it comes to being deaf aware.

“I want to change that and to make a real difference to the deaf community of which I am a part,” he says. The idea for Deaf Identity began to take shape last spring when Luke’s mum expressed to him her disappointment at there not being anything for her to wear in support of Deaf Awareness Week – which takes place every May – describing everything she’d found as ‘naff’.

“When I looked myself, I also couldn’t find anything that I wanted to buy and wear,” says Luke. “So, I designed my own T-shirt. I then started getting a lot of messages from people on Instagram asking me where I’d got it from and if I could make one for them too. It was at that point I realised there was a real need for the deaf community to have a brand that was created for them, with an ethos that resonated with them.”

When Luke was offered redundancy from his long-term high street retail job, he decided to turn what typically might have been a stressful situation, into an opportunity. With a plan to focus on his blogging and social media work, as well as designing a clothing collection, Deaf Identity was born.

Since its launch in September, Luke says that customer feedback and demand for his products has been overwhelming.

“It’s been absolutely incredible,” he says. “I’ve put my heart and soul into this. I don’t have any formal design qualifications – in fact I initially trained as a beautician, but I’ve always loved fashion. I’m of the mind-set that in life if you’re passionate enough about something and prepared to work hard for it, it doesn’t always matter what training you have, because you can still become successful with the right amount of drive and determination.”

The brand is committed to quality clothing and being as environmentally mindful as possible, with no plastic included in the packaging, and using only recyclable materials for shipping.

“I feel so strongly that the fashion industry needs to be more responsible when it comes to the planet, so in that respect I’ve done my best to start as I mean to go on,” says Luke.

“I have been incredibly lucky and completely blown away at how supportive people have been and how much the deaf community have embraced it.

“When I have fashion shoots coming up for new product and brand promotion, I run social media campaigns called ‘Deaf Identity Talent’ in a bid to recruit models. Every time I am inundated with emails and messages from deaf people wanting to get involved and be in front of the camera, which is amazing to see. It makes me feel so proud – and I will only ever include deaf models, or children of a deaf adult.”

Luke also uses his blog and social media platforms to raise deaf awareness. From his work as an ambassador for Phonak, who make hearing aids, to his weekly segment called ‘Signing Sundays’ on his Instagram channel where he has more than 13,000 followers.

Luke says that he feels that ignorance of deafness is still very much a barrier to progress.

“There’s a lot of work to be done educating wider society as to what is okay to say to a deaf person, and what is not okay,” explains Luke. “Ignorant comments are no longer acceptable.”

He says that there are simple ways that people can be more accommodating to the deaf community such as by captioning their video content online, speaking clearly rather than loudly and also by understanding that just because a deaf person wears hearing aids it doesn’t always mean they can hear what is being said. Also when contacting a deaf person by phone, always text them rather than leaving a voice message.

Luke has big plans for his fashion brand, although he is keeping his cards close to his chest.

“What’s next is top secret, I’m afraid,” he says. “I have so many ideas – it’s such an exciting, albeit manic time – but you can rest assured, there’s a lot still to come.”