Meet Lucie Carrasco. In the world of high fashion, she is the only designer with a disability to make it as far as she has. Two years ago she made history when she debuted her line – a feminine line bursting with amazing dresses – at the Cannes Film Festival in 2011.

Lucie, a 32 year old from Lyon, France, has been obsessed with beautiful women her entire life. Adopted by a glamorous mother who instilled an appreciation of visual beauty in Lucie (she loves Marilyn Monroe), designing women’s clothing was a natural progression for her.

But a future, let alone a future in fashion, was never something anyone had expected. Doctors predicted Lucie would only live till she was 3. Born was with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a condition that does get progressively worse, she’s defied all expectations in an unbelievable way. So much so that she’s written a book and founded a non-profit, all based on her personal mantra of staying strong.

In 2012, she founded her non-profit Roll Forever, and her book is also aptly named, “Mightier than the Disease,” where she discusses growing up with SMA and her determination to not let it overtake her life. The book is only in French right now, but you can learn more about it here.

And now she’s ramping up for something even bigger, which was why she created her foundation. The reason – a big move to the US; LA to be specific (a lifelong dream of hers) and she’s coupling it with a cross-country trip across the US – The Roll Forever! Tour. On the tour she will drive her chair from NYC to LA, spending 4-5 hours each day on the road, as well as handing off digital tablets to kids with disabilities in hospitals and rehab units along the way.

The goal is to show the world we can reach for our dreams despite the circumstances. There have already been a couple of wheelers who’ve crossed the country in their chairs this year, but Lucie will definitely be doing it with the most style. The tour will set off on July 24th, 2013. Check out the page dedicated to her tour here.

And also because of Cannes, Lucie has been fortunate enough to meet celebrities who have become fans of her line. Eva Longoria, Shakira and Vanessa Paradis (wife of Johnny Depp) to name a few, along with French actor Jean-Marc Barr, who’s sponsoring her foundation. And along her tour across the US, she hopes to see as many of her celeb friends as possible to promote her line.

Lucie’s couture collection btw is truly something. Super feminine, the clothes are designed to make a woman feel completely and utterly beautiful. And the clothes are designed for able-bodied women; not exclusively of course, but adapted clothing isn’t something she’s doing, for anyone wondering. Take a peek at her Couture Collection

I am thrilled to see Lucie has come so far in the world of fashion. France may get a bad rap for not understanding the needs of people with disabilities sometimes, but they’ve supported her, so much that Cannes gave her a Gold Medal to the city. Hopefully….she’ll have the same amount of luck once she sets up shop in LA.

Visit her site: Lucie Carrasco

What do you think of Lucie Carrasco’s line?

Links

– Lucie Carrasco on CNN World News

– “Like” Lucie Carrasco on Facebook