"AUF AUGENHOEHE is the only company in the world that offers fashion for little people"

Ms. Gedik, why is ready-to-wear fashion designed for little people so important to you?

Sema Gedik: Ready-to-wear fashion, or mass-produced ready-made garments have been the clothing industry standard for many decades. This democratization of fashion suddenly gave a larger number of people access to fitted and fashionable clothing. But off-the-rack clothing only covered the purported mass market. In an attempt to offer fashion for everyone, clothing solely catered to a specific body type. People with short stature did not fall into this category and were subsequently simply ignored by people in the fashion industry. Yet in this day and age, fitted, comfortable and fashionable clothing should be made accessible to all. That’s why we make fashion for little people and in doing so, promote equal participation in fashion and lifestyle.

What makes your fashion unique and stand out from the crowd?

Gedik: Our fashion designs are primarily suited to everyday wear. Whether they go to school, the office or a board meeting, our goal is for our customers to be able to wear the types of clothes that reflect their personality without the need to sacrifice style and comfort.

How do you develop the clothing sizes for your company?

Gedik: This process requires extensive research. I took measurements of nearly 500 people with short stature around the world and collected over 13,000 body stats. My team and I then developed special software to analyze the bodily proportions and derive the proper clothing sizes. That being said, our research actually never stops. We continue to measure people with short stature to optimize our data. This is especially important to ensure a perfect cut and fit.

To what extent were and are little people involved in the creative development process?

Gedik: The collaboration with little people during the product development stage is crucial for us. We take a user-centered design approach, which makes continuous feedback and communication a critical part of our process. We conduct social media surveys and questionnaires or have one-on-one feedback sessions at little people meetings and events. Our core team is at present still made up of people who are not of short stature, which makes effective communication with our target customers more important than ever.

What’s your take on the European/worldwide market for adaptive and inclusive fashion? How well are little people represented in this segment at the moment?

Gedik: Adaptive fashion is quite a new topic in the clothing industry. This means there are few big companies that are currently willing to look beyond the (traditional) horizon and include and accept other body types and needs in their work. Especially in Europe, there are only a handful of startups that slowly chisel away at this area. Meanwhile, things are quite different in the United States where designers have already recognized the need for adaptive fashion and the opportunities it presents for the industry. However, AUF AUGENHOEHE is still the only company in the world that offers fashion for little people.

What would you like to see from the fashion industry in the future?

Gedik: I would like the industry to accept and adopt global responsibility. This includes assuming an active role and taking action against discrimination and human rights abuses and violations within the supply chain: from design to production to sales. It also means taking corporate environmental and ecological responsibility in clothing and textile manufacturing.

How can a wide range of inclusive fashion options promote the right to self-determination?

Gedik: As the saying goes, "clothes make the man" (and woman). Nothing has changed and this holds true now more than ever. Clothing is a powerful vehicle we use every day. It expresses our personality, can show our status, can affect body image perception and – best of all – we all wear clothes. There is no way around it as we all need attires. That’s why it makes good sense to implement and reflect equal rights and equal participation in society with fashion.