Socially responsible adaptive fashion for people with disabilities.
Unhidden was founded in 2017 by Victoria Jenkins and two of her wonderful friends, Dougie Thoms and Tam Malley, who act as a sounding board as well as equity stakeholders.
Victoria Ann Jenkins
Victoria studied fashion design at Istituto Marangoni in London, graduating with a 1st in 2008.
She has worked predominantly as a garment technologist (making sure garments fit and are correct to a brand’s specifications and construction requirements before going to production) for a number of suppliers as well as high street and some high end designer brands.
In 2012, she fell seriously ill and has spent the last 8 years being diagnosed with a variety of gastrointestinal conditions that put her in the disability community.
It was during one of her many hospital stays she met a fellow patient who inspired her to create garments that would provide dignity, comfort and style. This fellow patient had so many tubes as well as a colostomy bag on her body that she had to strip off so the doctors could assess her and then spent the day in clothing that hurt or impeded her movement. Victoria knew more could be done to help her, and set about researching.
Second to wanting to help people with disabilities and impairments, Victoria is committed to not contributing to pollution or landfill as the fashion industry so famously does.
This is why the launch collection is made to order, and will use dead stock cloth. Deadstock cloth is left over fabric from other companies who ordered excess. Using it saves it from going to landfill.
UNHIDDEN will also offer adaptive alterations as soon as possible, as well as filming a series of workshops that will show customers how to alter their own clothes. This is so that no one is left behind, and no clothing is wasted.
So who is UNHIDDEN? They are for anyone with a disability or a chronic health condition, or anyone who is restricted by their body.
Their Founder, Victoria Jenkins, is a disability advocate due to her own gastrointestinal disabilities, and her career as a garment technologist in fashion led her to start UNHIDDEN when she encountered so many issues with her fellow hospital patients nor being able to cover up, or to be comfortable in their own clothing, and the lack of stylish adaptive clothing available.
