With stylish, perfectly fitted garments, DEWEY – an inclusive fashion brand for people five feet and under – is changing the game for extra petite people. We spoke to founder Chamiah Dewey and supporter, model and investor in the brand Ellie Simmonds, to discover how DEWEY is filling a gap in the fashion industry by offering comfort, confidence, and sustainability
You wouldn’t expect a British Paralympian who has an OBE, endless gold medals and a distinguished broadcasting career to need to ask her mum to alter her clothes. But that’s what Ellie Simmonds has been doing for years. Even her Team GB kit didn’t fit. Like thousands of people under five feet tall, Ellie has struggled to buy wellfitting clothes. But that’s all changing, with the launch of DEWEY, a brand devised by inclusive fashion designer Chamiah Dewey.
Ellie and Chamiah first met at Little People UK events, and Ellie has supported Chamiah’s career as a friend, but also as a model for and investor in DEWEY, which recently launched in-store in Selfridges, and online at deweyclothing.com.
“DEWEY is great,” explains Ellie. “For someone like me, I can’t just pick stuff off the shelf. But this jacket and these joggers I’ve got on right now, I’ve not had to alter them at all. It’s so needed.” DEWEY’s first range features women’s athleisure wear, and had to be restocked within days of first appearing in Selfridges in September.
FEELING REALLY GOOD
Why focus on sportswear for the brand’s first collection? “I live in athletics wear,” Ellie admits. “Yes, I’m an athlete but, since COVID and with more people working from home, we all love being in our comfies, and also looking good in the gym as well as feeling really good.”
“The idea is to be as accessible as possible to as many people as possible within that five foot and under demographic,” reveals Chamiah. The brand is expanding – DEWEY will soon launch a mainline women’s collection along with a men’s range. The pair explain that the main things people want are trousers that don’t need to be taken up, knitwear that fits, and outerwear that doesn’t need to be altered. An innovative but simple sizing solution, including leg inseam lengths of 25” and 18”, makes the range inclusive for the one in ten adults in the UK and US who measure five feet and under.
NOT ABOUT VANITY
“It isn’t just about vanity and looking great and feeling great,” says Chamiah. “Those things are so important. It’s also the fact that people need clothes! It’s such an emotional thing that a lot of us take for granted.”
Chamiah graduated from London College of Fashion in 2022, and the public’s response to the height inclusive show she staged during London Fashion Week gave her the validation that she was on the right path. She created a bridal collection for people of short stature, and the models included people with dwarfism, Brittle Bone Disease, Down syndrome and cerebral palsy.
“The models all expressed how amazing they felt because they’d never seen themselves represented in that way,” Chamiah smiles. “To have the opportunity to walk at fashion week is unheard of if you’re not a certain type of person. It got people talking too – I shared a TikTok about it which had over 100 million views.”
FOCUS ON DIGNITY
Speaking to people with dwarfism who’ve been forced to buy their clothing from children’s departments spurred Chamiah on further with her inclusive design ambitions – focusing on dignity and ensuring this large section of the market felt listened to and catered for.
Ellie agrees. “People think that, because we’re small, we should get kids clothes,” she explains. “But I’m nearly 30 – I don’t want to be wearing shoes that have sparkles on them. I want to wear things that people my age wear.”
The launch of the brand follows the fashion industry’s increasing awareness of inclusive design. “The disabled community has always been there – there’s always been a massive gap in the market,” admits Ellie. “Working with Chamiah to not only collaborate but also invest in DEWEY was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. 20 years ago, it was all about slim, six foot models, but now it’s great to start to see that even the mannequins include amputees and different disabilities.”
Chamiah and her team have carried out body scans of different people to create DEWEY’s sizing method. A range of extra petite mannequins to display the garments is in production. “Fashion needs to cover the whole of society – what we wear every day needs to cover what society looks like on an everyday basis,” emphasises Ellie.
MADE TO LAST
During her studies at London College of Fashion, Chamiah learned a lot about sustainability, and is working hard to ensure DEWEY garments are well made from responsible fibres that will look and feel good for many years to come.
“My surname, Dewey, has its origins in Welsh language – it means cherished and beloved,” reflects Chamiah. “I’ve always loved that, and I’ve always thought I want the pieces to be cherished. I want you to buy a coat, cherish it and be really excited to get it out every winter. It’s not fast fashion. It’s slow fashion that’s made really well and made to last. And it actually fits – that means a lot to extra petite people.”
“When you wear something you feel comfortable in, your confidence shines,” Ellie concludes. “We want everyone to feel comfortable in what they wear, and for that confidence to shine through.”