The Unique Boutique opens for business on Channel 4 on Monday 24th July, offering fabulous new looks for a wide range of people not served by mainstream fashion. The new life-changing fashion show sets to empower people left behind by high-street fashion with the help of four fabulous inclusive fashion experts.
Over four uplifting episodes, narrated by disabled actor Ruth Madeley, we meet contributors for whom high street shops don’t provide and introduce them to a unique fashion hub that caters for every possible style need.
The fashion experts hear each person’s candid story about the challenges they’ve faced finding clothing from conventional retailers – be they physical, psychological or financial – before creating an especially adapted outfit to match each person’s individual taste and needs.
Meet Team Unique Boutique
At The Unique Boutique, there is a squad of inclusive fashion designers, stylists, tailors and dressmakers who each identify as disabled. The four fashion experts are:
- Victoria Jenkins – an award-winning adaptive designer, disability advocate, speaker and writer who has a variety of gastrointestinal and musculoskeletal conditions
- Triple Minor (aka Georgie) – a trans, non-binary stylist, model and digital creator with an undisclosed disability
- Natalie Lee – a fashionista and body confidence coach with ADHD and dyslexia
- David Hawkins – a celebrity costume designer who identifies as neurodiverse and an epilepsy advocate
Victoria Jenkins: “Each design meant something to me!”
Victoria Jenkins is the CEO and founder of Unhidden, a clothing brand that creates universally designed and accessible fashion for any body type, shape or ability.
She studied fashion design at Istituto Marangoni graduating in 2008. She has spent the past 14 years working as a garment technologist, going freelance in 2017 when she became a start-up consultant and technical illustrator also.
Victoria was inspired to start Unhidden after she became disabled in her mid-20s. She has a variety of gastrointestinal and musculoskeletal conditions and symptoms from surgeries and complications of her conditions.
Victoria has appeared on BBC Dragon’s Den and was in the top 10 of the Shaw Trust Disability Power 100 list in 2022.
Victoria spoke to us about how she got involved in The Unique Boutique and what she loved most about taking part in the show: “I was approached over email in March 2022, which I think was thanks to the coverage I have managed to get for my brand as well as doing a TedX talk based on fashion and ableism.
What I loved most was seeing each contributor react to all of our teamwork, and being able to directly design for that very specific person. it was much more personal and the stories we heard while not always easy, definitely spurred us all on to be even more passionate about inclusive fashion.”
In regard to which outfit(s) Victoria enjoyed designing most on the show, she said: “This is so tough because genuinely each design meant something to me! I did love getting to experiment on bridal and pageant looks but there is a huge space in my heart for taking someone’s clothes that aren’t adaptive and upcycling them.”
Victoria went on to explain how the fashion designs differ in this show to other fashion programmes: “It’s not just the designs in this series it’s the people too – that is what is different. It isn’t a makeover that doesn’t address very real concerns on fit and function. And arguably, the fashion might ‘look’ the same but the adaptations we built in make them more wearer friendly.”
We also asked Victoria if it is easy and affordable enough for people to find/design similar stuff they make on the show. She said: “It is easy to find if you know what to look for and if you know the word adaptive for example. In the UK there are some incredible adaptive designers! But it’s not nearly easy enough to find us due to a number of issues with reach and digital ableism. It also belongs in every brands’ offering.”
Victoria added: ”Price wise it’s a challenge. My own brand believes in paying a living wage to our garment professionals as well as not exploiting the planet, which does mean a higher price point. But with any luck, after this, I’ll work with brands to change that and bring in affordable prices.”
Victoria concluded by saying that she hopes this show will inspire more disabled fashion designers and see more adaptive brands in our stores: “I am very much hoping this is what happens as well as brands beginning to build inclusive design in and work with adaptive designers like myself and others to make sure they are serving the 22% of the global population they have left out. I also hope adaptive design becomes more and more common on fashion courses – there is progress but it’s slow.”
Disabled customers seeking adaptive outfits at The Unique Boutique
In episode one, three customers arrive for fabulously-fitted outfits. Emma-Jane’s a pageant queen craving a dress that won’t catch on her wheels as she sashays down the catwalk. Victoria hits the brief with a show-stopping gown packed with innovative access features.
Next, separated dad Huw wants a new look to help rekindle his love life and a style that works for him as an ambulatory wheelchair user. Stylist David assembles an ensemble with cleverly added adaptations in a bid to boost Huw’s confidence to date again.
Meanwhile, cancer patient Lisa has lost her style mojo after undergoing treatment and her body changes means her wardrobe is no longer fit for purpose. Team Unique Boutique soon have her feeling glamorous again with a fabulously bespoke new outfit, including a surprise reversion of Lisa’s favourite coat.
The Unique Boutique starts on Channel 4 on Monday 24th July at 10pm.