Meet the Changemakers: Five Minutes with DEWEY
Published 11 October 2024
“I was inspired to design empowering, sustainable fashion for all adults under 5ft,” says Chamiah Dewey, founder of DEWEY – one of Stylus’ 2024 Changemakers.
“In 2018, while working on a youth programme, I realised the critical need for clothing that fits extra-petite and short-stature bodies,” Chamiah says. “At just 22, I launched the initial Dewey collection while pursuing an Enterprise Diploma at UAL [University of the Arts London] and working full-time. When I later debuted Dewey at London Fashion Week in September 2022, the collection went viral, gaining significant media recognition and over 100 million views.”
This was just one of the most rewarding moments in Chamiah’s journey so far – the list is ever growing for the trailblazing business. In September 2024, British Paralympian Ellie Simmonds joined the team as an investor, and in the same month, Dewey launched online and in-store at Selfridges.
Chamiah’s favourite part of running the business is “seeing the look on people’s faces” when they discover Dewey. “[It’s] meeting customers at Selfridges who light up because, for the first time, they find clothes that actually fit – clothes designed specifically for adults 5ft and under,” she explains. “They realise they don’t have to settle for petite clothing and endless alterations anymore; they finally have extra-petite clothes that fit perfectly.”
“Those moments of joy, when customers feel truly seen and valued, make everything worth it. Knowing we’re helping people feel included and confident drives me every day."
Being a Changemaker in any industry will pose its own opportunities and challenges. But for Chamiah, the main issue is that this hasn’t been done before on a mass scale, meaning there is very little research in this space, or on her customer. “Everything we do is really hands-on and curative, involving a lot of trial and error,” she says. “This lack of existing data requires us to conduct extensive fit trials, source specialised fabrics, and constantly seek feedback from our community to refine our designs.”
But this challenge also provides a “hugely unique opportunity”. “Being one of the few brands tackling this market on a significant scale allows us to set the standards and truly disrupt the fashion industry,” Chamiah explains. “We have the privilege of pioneering solutions that cater specifically for short-stature individuals, creating a new segment in the market where we can establish ourselves as leaders. This pioneering approach means we are constantly innovating and improving, which keeps us ahead of the curve and deeply connected to our customer base.”
“Our commitment to [sustainability and inclusivity] not only differentiates us from competitors, but also aligns us with a growing movement towards more responsible and inclusive fashion practices. This creates an even bigger opportunity to influence the industry and advocate for greater inclusivity and representation in fashion.”
We asked Chamiah about her predictions for how the inclusive clothing market will evolve in the coming years. “There’s a noticeable movement towards normalising universally designed accessible fashion within mainstream collections,” she says. “Integrating adaptive clothing seamlessly alongside other specialised lines, such as petite, maternity, plus-size or tall collections, would make fashion more inclusive for individuals of diverse abilities and body types.
“There’s growing demand for better representation in fashion, particularly for models with visually diverse appearances and short statures. As someone passionate about representation, I believe it’s essential to reflect the reality of our population.”
Stylus Changemakers is an annual programme that celebrates and supports young, small and innovative businesses by giving them access to Stylus’ trends intelligence and consumer insights. It’s set to welcome a fresh cohort of trailblazing businesses in January 2025. Interested? Applications are now open.
“The Stylus Changemakers programme has had a profoundly positive impact on our business operations. Initially, it increased our awareness of trends across sectors that we hadn’t previously considered impactful. This newfound insight has streamlined our market analysis process, allowing us to spend less time on data analysis and more on designing and implementing innovative strategies.”
