“Growing up deaf, I always struggled with knowing where I belonged”
Beauty & Me: @mrlukechristian
When it comes to breaking down barriers, Luke Christian, grooming blogger, designer and founder of inclusive clothing brand Deaf Identity, does it with style. Ahead, Luke shares his simple approach to skincare, his vision of a more deaf inclusive industry and why it’s so important to caption content.
What was the catalyst to starting your own brand?
I was always told how to act as a deaf person. Growing up deaf and coming from a family where the gene runs back at least five generations, I always struggled with knowing where I belonged and which ‘world’ I fitted into — not deaf enough for the deaf world yet deaf enough to not fit into the hearing world, so I wanted to create a brand that did away with the stereotypes.
I started Deaf Identity because it merges my love of fashion with raising deaf awareness — it’s all about showing that there’s no right or wrong way of being deaf and to empower others who have similar stories to mine and to make them feel as though they have a brand that they can relate to which is also modern, fresh and relevant.
People will often ask, ‘if I cover my mouth can you understand what I’m saying without lipreading?’ Please don’t ask me this, it’s offensive.
How has the last year panned out for you?
The last year has let me hit the ‘reset’ button and pause for a while. Running a business means my life is rather hectic and quite full on, so when lockdown hit us all the first time around, everything stopped and I took this time to reflect on what was important to me and to just slow down and reconnect with myself again. I think a low point was losing the social aspect of life. Not being able to meet up with friends and just having that human interaction, no matter how small, was definitely something I struggled with.
When did you first get the beauty bug?
About seven years ago. I’ve always been into fragrances and looking well-presented (I try to be anyway!) and I did a beauty course at college for two years so I was able to learn many tricks and skills. Little did I know that shortly after qualifying as a beautician, I would start my blog specialising in skincare and male grooming. Everything really does happen for a reason.
Over the past five years of blogging about skincare I’ve gone through a lot, trying to figure out what works and what doesn’t and what I’ve found is that just a simple cleanse, tone and moisturise routine is all my skin really needs, so now my regimen is quite stripped back.
I start the day with using the Perricone MD Citrus Brightening Cleanser followed by my absolute hero product, Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic Spritzer and then to finish, I’ll add the Kiehl’s Oil-Eliminator Moisturiser with a facial roller on top to really help the ingredients absorb and to maximise the routine.
How do you find navigating the beauty industry?
Being deaf presents challenges. Like when I go for a haircut I have to take out my hearing aids and it makes me feel a little awkward because I’m not able to interact with the barber. I’ve also become increasingly aware that there doesn’t seem to be many opportunities for deaf makeup artists or beauticians and I hope to change this one day.
Brands could and should be more deaf aware by captioning all of their video content. By not doing so, they alienate a huge audience of deaf people as we’re not able to follow and understand what is being said. There are many apps available now where the captions can automatically be added to save you time so really, there’s no excuse! Another point would be to hire more deaf people across all fields within the beauty industry, this would spark a whole generation of young people having an interest in beauty.
Watch Luke’s Get Ready With Me video with Feelunique now.
