Chatham Woman Debuts Book After Surviving Brain Injury

CHATHAM, NJ - After graduating Georgetown University Maddi Niebanck was poised to begin her life when a traumatic brain injury robbed the Spanish and Justice and Peace Studies major of the ability to use her left side.

Undaunted, Niebanck began her recovery and chose to pen her first book, "Fashion Fwd: How Today's Culture Shapes Tomorrow's Fashion."

Fashion Fwd touches on the cultural mega-trends influencing the future of fashion, Niebanck said. From movements toward increased sustainability to satisfying the millennial demand for authentic retail experiences and brand value alignment, Fashion Fwd covers all the current trends impacting fashion's future.

"I wrote this book as a way to kickstart my new life of purpose following a serious brain injury last year that left me completely paralyzed on the left side," Niebanck said. "Writing this book while recovering and learning to do the everyday activities I once took for granted, like walking, really proved to be the best way for me to spend my time."

According to Niebanck, her injury changed her path and pushed her to discover more about fashion and her personal journey to recovery is reflected in the book.

"#FashionFwd is about the cultural mega-trends that are changing the fashion industry, like movements towards increased sustainability in production and fashion as a tool for self-empowerment," Niebanck said. "Instead of wondering what's going to be tomorrow's hottest trend, stay two steps ahead with Fashion Fwd, which will expose you to the industry's major change agents."

Niebanck's ambition to become an entrepreneur dates back to when she was a little girl in Chatham when she embraced her love for fashion by self-publishing the first and only edition of her magazine Passion for Fashion.

Beyond publishing the book, Niebanck said she continues to work hard on her recovery.

"I continue to work hard on my rehabilitation and am still making massive strides practically a year and a half later," Niebanck said. "My walking is becoming more fluid and I'm learning how to pick up small objects with my left hand."

Eighteen months after her injury and after nearly a year of writing, Niebanck's publisher New Degree Press has released the book in paperback and e-book form to Amazon.

The book's description says fashion trends are changing by the minute through social media and fast fashion brands, many wonder - What's next in the fashion world? Niebanck says fashion is no longer just about what people wear, but why they wear it.

Niebanck says, a whole lot.

For her part, Niebanck continues to keep busy and uses her free time Maddi to peruse the latest edition of Vogue and mentor fellow entrepreneurs. Despite the setbacks she has been dealt, she remains unbowed.

"Lots more progress to come," Niebanck said. "Onward."

(Photo courtesy Maddi Niebanck)

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