A hearing aid can be part of your style.
Jenni Ahtiainen wanted her hearing aids to feel as personal as the rest of her wardrobe. A small attachment turned that wish into a new kind of jewellery.
FI FinlandIn practice. Designer Jenni Ahtiainen’s Finnish DEAFMETAL system grew from her own experience of hearing loss.
What to keep in view
The holster and jewellery provide retention and personal expression, not improved hearing. Fit and compatibility depend on the device and attachment.
The first prototype was for herself
Ahtiainen was already an accessories designer when she began wearing hearing aids in 2018. In her account of DEAFMETAL’s beginnings, she describes making a small leather holder around the device and hanging leather strips and chains from it. She photographed the result and shared it on social media. The idea started with something she wanted to wear, rather than a brief to redesign hearing technology.
The holder is the key design decision. It provides an attachment point around a compatible device, allowing jewellery to become a separate choice. The hearing aid continues to do its job; the wearer gains a way to decide how it looks.
A voice beyond the product photograph
In a first-person account published by RNID on 9 October 2026, Ahtiainen describes how hearing loss had made it harder for her to join conversations. Hearing aids helped her participate again, but their appearance did not fit her style. Her aim, she explains, was to make her own devices feel like hers, rather than simply draw attention to them.
That distinction gives the project its substance. Expression need not mean maximum visibility or a single aesthetic. It means having an option. A wearer who prefers something discreet and someone who chooses a chain should both be able to recognise themselves in the objects they use.
The small part that makes the choice possible
The contemporary holster is made from silicone and fits around behind-the-ear hearing aids and compatible cochlear-implant processors. DEAFMETAL also lists different fasteners for other device shapes, including bone-anchored systems. The jewellery and its attachment are separate decisions: identify the device, then choose the fitting that allows the piece to be worn.
That small interface gives the fashion idea a practical foundation. A chain or ring can be a matter of taste while the fastener answers the shape of the device. The maker’s selection guide and fitting videos are a useful next step for someone who recognises their own wish in Ahtiainen’s story.
Use DEAFMETAL’s guide to identify a fastener for your hearing device, then explore the jewellery and fitting instructions.
Find a compatible attachmentSources (4)
- DEAFMETAL · Ahtiainen’s account of the first holder
- RNID · Jenni’s first-person account, 9 October 2026
The founder’s own account, published by the hearing-loss charity; not an independent product trial.
- DEAFMETAL · Device-specific jewellery and fasteners
- DEAFMETAL · Fastener types and device compatibility
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