My Story - 'Unhidden' by Victoria Jenkins for Mary Fickling

I’ve never seen myself in fashion. I didn’t know any one was doing this. I haven’t worn a dress in 10 years. I can’t wear suits. I can’t wear what I like. I can’t get IN the shop in the first place. Why isn’t any one designing for us?

 

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'Award winning universal design for every BODY'

 

Victoria Jenkins

 

I have heard all the above for 6 years now.. And to be honest, I should have been thinking it myself long before- I worked in fashion, I was part of the ‘system’ etc AND I was in need.. 

But as so many of us say, you don’t get it till you ‘get’ it.

And by ‘it’ I mean become disabled.

To tell the story of why I do what I do, I have to tell you my story as well but I want to preface it with this; I am greatly looking forward to the day where I am not the story, where I am not ‘the brand’ or the ‘face’ of the brand- but as a start-up/ founder, I have to accept that no one will shout as loudly, as often (and for free) about a brand as the person who owns it; the very idea of having to put myself physically out there is part of the reason I hesitated to launch!

 

I studied fashion design at Istituto Marangoni, the London campus- suitably located on Fashion Street in East London. 

 

I had a brilliant 3 years there, certainly learned a lot and it was a brilliantly creative time for me, experimenting with shapes and draping and studying the history of costume and fashion- it was fantastic.

I would say they covered absolutely everything- except the area I now work in.

I graduated in 2008 and did a couple of internships, made wedding dresses in my spare time and then I got my first job as a pattern cutter working for an e-commerce brand. That role gradually developed in to being what is called a garment technologist- it was my job to measure garments, check the fit was good, the measurements were right, construction methods are within budget and the sizing is correct etc.. This I did for suppliers to high street retailers like Tesco and Primark, but I also worked for brands like Jack Wills and AllSaints before my dream job at Victoria Beckham- then I went freelance.

And the reason for going freelance was Unhidden.

In 2012 I nearly died from an undiagnosed stomach ulcer that burst- being wheeled down to surgery while they told my Mum I had a 50/50 chance of coming back- not something I was prepared for after years of being told ‘it’s women’s’ problems’ or I was too young for it to be anything serious. I won’t go into a rant about that though or I’ll be here all day…

After that, multiple other conditions and surgeries and diagnoses came and I began to accept that perhaps I was not going to get better.. And the stress of trying to work and be like everyone else meant I medically burnt out once a year generally.

 

One such time was 2016. I met a fellow patient on my ward who switched that lightbulb of purpose on for me, gave me a mission and a passion that drives me now every day. 

She had survived ovarian cancer and had multiple conditions as a result of the treatment; she was in fact in the hospital to be fitted for a chest port to receive medicine. Knowing that I worked in fashion (at the time I was working at AllSaints) she said that her lack of choice made it impossible for her to dress how she wanted to at home, at work and socially- because she needed to be able to easily access her stomas or lines and that meant undressing.

As soon as she said it, I thought to myself SOMEONE will be doing this, this is so obviously a need and surely there are brands working on this.. It also occurred to me that after each of my surgeries I lived in pyjamas and didn’t dress up or leave the house until it was possible to wear the clothes I wanted.. And still often was in pain whilst wearing them!

The landscape for adaptive design in the UK was pretty bleak in 2016. A few brilliant companies founded by carers and medical professionals were addressing the need and Tommy Hilfiger had just worked with Mindy Scheier from Runway of Dreams on his adaptive range (which is still sold to this day- type in Tommy Hilfiger adaptive on your browser to shop!) but other than that, there was so little and nothing really aimed at younger people, from a sustainable standpoint or from a more formal need. I was stunned and angry at the lack of accessible clothing and the lack of inclusion in the industry I worked in. 

I couldn’t stop thinking about adaptive design and decided the time had come to go freelance so I could work perhaps part time as well as develop some of my ideas. I then actually went straight into a 6-month contract at Sweaty Betty followed by 2 other similar contracts and I just didn’t have the time or energy to work in the evenings on Unhidden.. I did register it in 2017 so I had the name and the domain, and I was constantly talking to people about their needs and working on ways to make it happen, even getting some samples made and starting to build a presence on social media.. But nothing really moved with it until 2020- suddenly I had the time and was literally not allowed out of the house so I had so much more energy too!

The first photoshoot was meant to be for a crowdfunding campaign but the images were so beautiful and the response from the amazing models was so lovely that I thought I’d see if made to order could work allowing me to start trading whilst still getting prepared for a crowdfunding campaign.

I know the price point is not where it needs to be- I’ll never be a fast fashion brand and I won’t rant about that here, but the truth is the only way to bring price down when you are committed to paying your supply chain and using only the best construction methods, responsibly sourced fabrics and trims is by buying in bulk- which requires money upfront.

The Designs

So, it’s probably time to talk about the actual designs themselves now I have sufficiently waffled at you- kudos for reading this far!

  • The range at the moment is made up of just 10 pieces. All made from deadstock fabric (excess fabric left over from other clothing brands factory orders) and all also made from certified organic cotton in various compositions- the trousers have some lycra in them which helps with stretch and comfort, the men’s wrap sleeve tee has a little polyester for the same reason plus it will last longer. 
  • All the trousers come in standing and seated versions- the seated versions have a specific pattern so they are longer in the back (no dipping) and shorter at the front. Some excess is removed from the back of the knee and the front hip, there are no pockets on the back and the seams are bound so they are soft and won’t cause pressure sores and the leg is a little longer. All trousers have elasticated back waistbands and side seam zips to help get them on/ off as well as in the hem to help with dressing. The wrap version has an adjustable front and a small opening concealed within the wrap that catheters or feeding tubes can be passed through.
  • The shirts all have snap fastenings (poppers) as standard and all the sleeves have an opening for access to PICC lines, for people with diabetes and anyone going through chemo or radio therapy. The fastenings are easier to manage than buttons- I am working on magnetic closures but they’re still quite bulky in the shirts and hard to manage in the machines. Velcro wouldn’t work as well but people can choose to use that- I have made it possible to request customisation at checkout. This is also because I don’t have the coding know how to put every size possible on view but we can and do make whatever size any one needs.
  • The wrap sleeve top has a raglan sleeve based on a hospital gown as it allows good arm movement for manual chair users and doesn’t restrict the arm. The same is true of the wrap top, and both have zips on the front for chest port access. (The wrap top is actually reversible- it can be worn front tied or back tied depending on your style!)
  • Finally, the dress has a hidden zip at the waist that allows for access to your stomach- whether you need to feed tubes through or empty a colostomy bag, you won’t need to pull the whole dress up. The keyhole has the added bonus of allowing chest port access, and the split hem works for wheelchair users as it doesn’t cut in across the legs.

This is what I am calling the core range- I will be adding in new colours and updating these over time but I am SUPER excited to be adding to the range…

I have an open investor round presently and so many incredible collaborations happening that the future looks very bright- I am currently planning my first full runway show for Septembers’ London Fashion Week and I’ll also be heading to America to show in Nashville for Alicia Searcys’ Fashion is For Every Body event, then on to New York to take part in Runway of Dreams- a very hectic start to Q4 but with more designs that will dive deeper on specific conditions I can’t wait to see the samples in real life and I am impatient to have stock too!

I’m also pulling together focus groups of parents of disabled kids, trying to speak directly with the kids themselves and with disabled parents- I have the licensing rights to 2 amazing character sets and I hope to launch those by the end of the year if possible.

 

EDITORIAL COMMENT

PhysioPod asked Alicia Searcy to add a comment on Victoria's work..

"Victoria has been on my radar for several years now. Her groundbreaking business model is as innovative as it is intuitive. Adaptive and universal designs that are as attractive as they are functional are what customers have been waiting for, and Unhidden delivers beautifully.  Victoria's latest collection will make its US debut at Fashion is for Every Body: On the Runway on September 10th"
 
 
Alicia Searcy is Executive Director of Nashville, Tennessee nonprofit Fashion is for Every Body.  Their mission is to normalize inclusion in fashion and in life for adults of all ages, races, sizes, gender orientations, sexual identities and physical abilities. They currently produce the nation's only truly inclusive annual fashion runway show.
 

 

Moving Forward for Victoria..

 

I do have large/ ambitious plans for the future- I want to film adaptive upcycling workshops, which will be freely available as well as host a platform for chronic sick and disabled seamstresses/machinists to adapt their local communities’ clothing at their own pace and setting their own rates. 

As 80% of the disable community acquire their disability, that’s a lot of clothing potentially going to landfill but it’s also very tough mentally to not be able to wear what you want from your own wardrobe- until it is common place for inclusive design to be sold on the high street, I want to at least help people buy from the stores they want and then get them tailored by someone who really understands their needs and breathe new life in to their existing wardrobes.

I’ve started looking at shoe design as there are only 6 brands making adaptive shoes worldwide and they’re all trainers- a more formal option is still missing and I do have a shoe obsession- cliché but true!

One day I’d love to have a proper shop that is really luxurious and completely accessible, with medically trained staff, a community space, a Changing Places bathroom and suitable changing rooms and perhaps also with other assistive products or even clothing from other brands too.. Who knows!

 

Before that happy day, Unhidden will be stocked in a chain of new ethical department stores, the first of which is opening hopefully by the end of this year in Glasgow- so we’ll be online and in real life shops too. The other stores will be in Cardiff, Leeds and London.

I think that just about covers things without sending you to sleep- I am on a mission to get adaptive fashion mainstream either with Unhidden or by working directly with brands and some very exciting conversations are happening in that space. Please do reach out or give us a follow on Instagram @unhidden.uk or have a browse through the site unhiddenclothing.com.

 

Finally, I leave this film here that I made for fashion week in February- I am so very proud to have been able to work with the models and a brilliant photographer/ videographer Jasmine-Leann. To look at her work or book her, see tobewanderlustcreative.com.

 

Future Proof Fashion - LFW February 2022

 



LATEST NEWS ON THE BBC 12TH JULY 2022

"A young Londoner with chronic health problems is helping to change the lives of people with disabilities. Victoria Jenkins founded a socially-responsible, adaptive fashion brand in her basement flat in Islington. She set up the clothing line, Unhidden, after a stint in hospital dealing with her own journey with disability. The clothes are customisable and made-to-order, to cater for people with different access needs. Now she has big plans to extend the brand and make adaptive wear for kids too"