Raluca Schrollinger is passionate about sewing and has turned her hobby into a career.
The 40-year-old, who has been deaf since birth, even has her own label.
Lauterhofen - Raluca Schrollinger is 40 years old, has been deaf since birth and has set up her own label.
She loves to sew and has turned her hobby into a job. More than 25,000 people follow her on her Instagram channel alone, which she started in 2012.
"That's my motivation": Deaf seamstress builds up a successful business
She started sewing much earlier.
From 2001 to 2004 Schrollinger trained as an interior decorator, sewing was part of it.
"What I like about sewing is that I can be creative - that's my motivation," she writes to our editorial team.
Instagram uses them "less for barrier-free communication, but to present my work," says Schrollinger.
However, there would be no barriers to communicating with the deaf anyway.
“When hearing people sometimes write to me, I usually understand it.
I often have friends translate what I've written into sign language if I'm not sure," she continues.
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Raluca Schrollinger has over 25,000 followers on Instagram: sewing is now her main job
The number of followers is not important to her, "they came little by little through measuring or 'tell the word'," she explains.
For them, the focus on Instagram is the sale of their products.
In the meantime, she has already achieved a certain notoriety in her area.
"I was approached at the butcher and in kindergarten," she writes.
Check out this post on Instagram
A post shared by Raluca Schrollinger (Ghindea) (@ionela_store)
A few years ago, the 40-year-old, who was born in Romania and came to Germany at the age of nine, also founded her own label,
because she wanted "my products to bear my name."
At first her label had a different name, then she changed it to
ionela
because she identified more with it.
It all started with decoration, including lanterns and homemade items.
Then came scarves made of thin fabric.
Schrollinger now works with thick fabrics and imitation leather and makes bags, rucksacks, handbags, purses and calendars.
Sewing is now her main job.
She takes one hour in the morning for office work, then from 9 a.m. to 2.30 p.m. she works on the products in her own workshop in Lauterhofen (district of Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz).
In between and especially in the evening, Instagram is on the agenda.
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Raluca Schrollinger sews bags, purses and rucksacks, among other things.
© Raluca Schrollinger
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Deaf seamstress with a successful business: She also exhibits at trade fairs
Schrollinger not only sells its products on Instagram, but also at special fairs for the deaf.
"They are always well attended," writes the 40-year-old.
From time to time she is also at fairs organized by hearing people, but her focus is on fairs for the deaf.
"When I'm at hearing fairs, I always have someone with me to interpret.
For me, this is the easiest and fastest form of communication.”
In general, her customers are mostly deaf.
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25,000 people follow Raluca Schrollinger on her Instagram account.
© Raluca Schrollinger
Not everyone understands the Franconian dialect. Anna Neubauer can remedy that. The young woman from Fürth shares corresponding reels on Instagram.
"It's welcome to stay the way it has been": Deaf seamstress is satisfied
But how does she manage - with so much competition - to be so successful with her business?
“I'm just active in the world of the deaf and that's where the deaf support the deaf as a priority.
I think what sets me apart is that I've been doing it for a long time, I'm very reliable and I sell high-quality products," she surmises.
The 40-year-old has no big plans or goals with regard to sewing.
"It's welcome to stay as it is.
I am very satisfied."
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