Paralympian Ellie Simmonds launches clothing range

Ex Paralympic swimmer Ellie Simmonds has helped launch a new fashion label for people 5ft (1.52m) tall and under.

The former Strictly star, from Aldridge near Walsall, said she had been inspired to act after struggling to find clothes to fit off the rack for her 4ft (1.21m) frame.

She has now teamed up with designer and founder Chamiah Dewey to make people who are extra petite feel seen and have an easier option when buying clothes.

She said: "I think there's a massive gap in the market for people like myself... we go to shops and have to sometimes look at the clothes and think, 'can I wear it?'"

Simmonds told BBC Radio WM that finding clothes to fit was a struggle a lot of extra-petite people face.

She said: "You have to put them in scissors or get someone to alter them. I’ve been lucky... my mum has been altering all my clothes. I know there’s a lot of people that have to take their clothes to an alterer in other places."

Simmonds said the challenge to find well-fitting clothes had even extended to the Paralympics, adding her mum had had to adapt her ParalympicsGB kit for London 2012.

"We all deserve to feel great in what we wear, and for those of us who are extra-petite or short stature, that can be hard to achieve," she said.

Simmonds, 29, who was born with achondroplasia, which reduces growth in the arms and legs, achieved huge success as a swimmer before retiring in 2021.

The brand's first collection will be an "athleisure" range with 16 womenswear pieces and six unisex styles.

It makes its debut on Thursday at London Fashion Week.

The initiative also included the commissioning of what are believed to be the world's first 5ft-and-under mannequins, which will be used to display the collection in shops.

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