Brooke talks to Chamiah Dewey, who is making waves in the fashion industry by creating inclusive clothing for people with disabilities. Chamiah shares her personal connection to disability, growing up with neurodivergent siblings and being an ally to the disabled community. She discusses her journey into fashion and how she founded her clothing brand, Dewey, which specialises in clothing for individuals under five feet tall.

Chamiah talks about the challenges she faced in developing a size chart that caters to the unique needs of her customers and the importance of representation in the fashion industry. She also shares her experience showcasing her designs at London Fashion Week and the emotional impact it had on both her and her models. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Dewey aims to provide fashionable and well-fitting clothing for people under five feet tall, specifically targeting the short stature community.
• Chamiah's inspiration for starting Dewey came from her encounter with a young person with dwarfism, which sparked her curiosity and led her to realise the lack of clothing options for people with short stature.
• There is limited information and expertise available on short stature conditions. However, Chamiah persevered and conducted her own research to develop a size chart and create clothing that fits the unique proportions of short stature individuals.
• Dewey's participation in London Fashion Week was a significant milestone for the brand, as it showcased a bridal collection specifically designed for short stature individuals. The positive reception from the audience and the emotional impact it had on the models highlighted the importance of representation and inclusivity in the fashion industry.

BEST MOMENTS

"I always love getting the chance to chat about what I do and to meet new people and spread awareness of things that lots of people don't consider." 

"I got into this really through meeting a young person who had dwarfism and just learning lots and lots about dwarfism as a condition and then just getting really curious." 

"I think listening has been one of the most invaluable pieces. It's just immersing yourself so fully in the community, which I completely am." 

"I think seeing people be so shocked that something fit and that they didn't have to roll the arms up was a really humbling experience." 

"I want Dewey to be the place that you think of when you're short stature. We're providing clothing that looks like clothing from anywhere else, it's just smaller." - Interviewee

VALUABLE RESOURCES

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/disabled-and-proud/id1621152878

HOST BIO

Disabled and Proud is the show that brings listeners a different perspective on disability. Each week this podcast highlights an awesome disabled guest speaking about their own disability; why they are proud to be disabled and why they are proud to be themselves. 

The conversations in this show will look at what challenges these amazing people face socially, mentally, physically and life in general. This show is raw, open, honest, funny, welcoming and educational. 

Disabled & Proud does exactly what it says on the tin! And whilst we are creating this space for disabled people to be unashamedly themselves, without the need to conform to society, this is also not about toxic positivity. This show will be shining a big, bright light on disability without it being “Paralympic or pity”. 

As you will hear disability is WHOLE, COMPLETE & PERFECT and whilst the topic of disability can be quite heavy - and we definitely don't shy away from the bad days - this podcast is also about having fun too! Our aim is to play a part in reclaiming the word disability - turning it from inadequacy to perfection!