The pieces on Unhidden’s website are signposted according to who they can help. A pair of bestselling seated black twill trousers are designed specifically for wheelchair users, with a longer seat, no back pockets and without an abrasive elastic waistband. The T-shirt has a wrap around sleeve for people who need easy access to their chest and arms. It also features invisible zips and a flexible sleeve. Unhidden’s smart tailoring and shirting in particular has significant advantages in office environments. “Not being able to dress for job interviews is a huge employment barrier,” Jenkins says. “[And] don’t get me started on occasion or bridal wear. There’s an assumption that disabled people don’t want to have a date night or get married.”
Unhidden has been the pioneer of the adaptive market, but it is also a first-of-its kind in terms of delivering a sustainable product. Items are manufactured to order using certified organic bamboo silk or surplus cotton, and in factories that use renewable energy, either on the Isle of Wight or in Bulgaria. Sustainable though, does mean higher costs, and Jenkins is conscious of the challenge presented by Unhidden’s prices, which are unavoidably above average as a result – a silk shirt, for example, costs £80. “Disabled people are 50 per cent more likely to live in poverty,” Jenkins she points out. Her goal is to create small-scale design pieces with the help of investment rounds. “Buying in volumes reduces the price,” she adds.
Unhidden, the UK’s first adaptive fashion brand, staged their first show at London Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2023 in February. “I still cry when I watch the show back,” Jenkins says. “Thinking about the stories of what the models on the runway have collectively been through to get to that point…” The show featured models with visible and invisible disabilities, and was opened by Fats Timbo, one of the stars of British Vogue’s May issue, who says: “Society makes you believe that you need to look a certain way. It’s something that has affected me for a long time. But now that I am confident, resilient and able to stand up for myself, nothing can stop me.”
Jenkins is keen to reiterate the dedication required to stage a runway show that’s accessible for both guests and models. “We had a hoist backstage and a quiet room,” she says of the event, which was hosted at Kurt Geiger’s London HQ. An interpreter in British Sign Language was present for the event. In London, the brand is joined by Irish fashion designer Sinead O’Dwyer, who is committed to body diverse casting in her womenswear shows, which in the past have featured wheelchair users Emily Barker and Naadirah Qazi. Unhidden also will be showing in September.
“I’ve got lived in experience and garment experience,” Jenkins says. Turns out, it’s a revolutionary combination.