I am happy to see new fashion brands for Petite women aka women under 5’4 launching. Today I will introduce you to Jessi, CEO and owner of a New Petite fashion brand for shorties- Petite Culture.

Who should I interview next? Which Petite fashion brand, stylist, model, celebrity? Comment down below.

Interview with a New Petite fashion brand- Petite Culture

Tell us about you! What did you do before working on your petite fashion brand, and how did you come up with the idea of creating the brand?

Absolutely! I am Jessi. I am a 36 year old wife and mother. I worked in the medical field for 12 years as a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer (Ultrasound Technologist).  I loved my profession, but had to leave to take care of my special needs son who I now homeschool. 

Not many business women in modern times mention that they are wives and moms and does not seem so proud of that! I do think a mom and wife is as big accomplishment as having a business is! Please continue! 🙂

Before going to school for ultrasound I actually applied to a local fashion design school straight from highschool in 2005. I entered an essay contest to win college money (unrelated to the fashion school) and in that essay I wrote about how I wanted to become a Fashion Designer to create clothing for short women like myself and the struggles I personally faced. I won that contest! However, I got cold feet and never went to that fashion school. It never left my mind. My husband always told me I should make my own clothes or go back to school to design my own. 

After I left my career, I came across an ad on YouTube for a course that taught people how to start a fashion brand without having to go to fashion school. I bought the course and the rest is history! Eighteen years later and I am finally fulfilling this dream of mine. 🙂

I cannot believe you won the the contest and did not go. However, I am so happy you still followed your dream and made it reality!

However, my goal is bigger than just starting a clothing brand. I truly believe a lot of petite women’s insecurities and self-esteem issues stem from not feeling confident or adequate in our clothing because we have had to settle for less and for ill-fitting clothing for so long. Fashion can be so transformative and a representation of who we are. 

When you aren’t able to show up as you wish – and express yourself through fashion – it can weigh on you!  Mix this with the lack of representation of petite women in the fashion industry… it can make us feel like we are flawed or not “enough”. Taking all of this into consideration (and based off my own experiences) I chose to create a space that did not exist: My own little world where petite women felt seen, heard, and celebrated! We deserve attention and inclusion too and a petite-centric retailer can do just that!

I agree. Therefore, I started my Petite blog and not only that. I started to offer stylist consultations online where I teach women about their personal style and even include style therapy! By the way, how tall are you? 

I am 4’10” “tall”!

Taller than I am (I am 4’9)! I realised only a few years ago (and I am 32 now) that I belong to the Petite category because I am curvy and I thought Petite means very skinny woman. Was it your stereotype too and why do you think people think that? 

I luckily learned early on from my own mother that I was petite because of my height. Anyone who is 5’4” and under is considered petite. The term “petite” strictly refers to height alone. Body size or weight should not be assumed. People of various body shapes and sizes can be considered petite. 

I am not entirely sure why there is that misconception that petite = thin. I figure it is a mix between fashion, media, and societal influences. It makes me determined to educate others about this. I encourage more inclusive and diverse representations of petites with various body types in media and in fashion to help challenge and break down these stereotypes.

What fashion struggles have you experienced as a Petite woman? 

An easier question would be what have I NOT struggled with! I noticed I was different from my peers when people started commenting on my short stature and kept growing taller while I remained small. 

My first eye-opening experience fashion-wise was when I was trying to find a gown for an 8th grade dance. Every dress I tried on was dragging on the floor and could have swallowed me whole. They were so large! My mother took me to a local tailor to fix the dress to fit me perfectly, and that was my first taste of the power of a proper fit! I felt so beautiful and confident.

I have had struggles with clothing ever since: jeans and pants that fall too long, straps/sleeves that are too large, armholes too big, maxi dresses and skirts that dragged to the floor, very limited options of stores with petite sections and finding even the clothing in these sections didn’t fit properly, consistently leaving dressing rooms and stores empty-handed after a full day of shopping, returning full online orders because nothing fit well… the list goes on and on. 

I still go to those same tailors I went to in 8th grade to have almost all my clothing hemmed!

Maybe other non-fashion related struggles you have had as a Petite?

I think overall navigating the world as a petite woman can be a challenge and some are a double-edged sword. For example, we tend to look much younger than our age (which the older I get the more flattered I am to still get carded! haha). 

On the flip side, when I was working in the medical field, in a professional setting, I noticed I was not being taken seriously. I would be treated like a child or subjected to jokes. I even had times when my own patients refused my care because they thought I was still in highschool or a recent graduate and wanted someone with “more experience”. This was shocking and hurtful, but it helped me grow thick skin and learn to stick up for myself! 

I agree so much! And yes, no one believes I am over 30! Please tell me more about the Petite fashion brand- The Petite Culture. What will be the style of your brand and clothes?

Petite Culture will offer high-quality stylish clothing to help petite women find confidence in themselves again. I was inspired by my own European travels for this first collection. 

The pieces are intended to be easily worn at a resort, or walking around site seeing in beautiful cities, admiring architecture, visiting museums, or out enjoying some fine dining. There is a nod to vintage Parisian styles as well as inspiration from Greek/Roman Goddesses. 

I want to create clothing for petite women that will finally help them feel elegant and feminine while remaining stylish and chic. My goal is to one day be a size inclusive brand because every petite woman deserves to feel beautiful no matter her size.

That clothing sounds like made for me! I travel a lot and always search for comfortable but chic and feminine outfits! What price point will your Petite fashion brand have and will it be available internationally? I live in Spain. It is very important for me (haha).

Pricing will be mid-range – similar to that of Banana Republic or Aritzia. The pieces are made at an ethical manufacturer with high-quality fabrics and tailored for us petites – so the pricing will reflect this. Each piece will be sold at a limited quantity. I do plan to ship worldwide!

Yay! Amazing, I am so excited and cannot wait! Are there any sneak-peeks you can share of some of the pieces/ designs?

Yes. So far I have shared the jeans and trousers on my social channels – the remaining styles are still being worked on and I plan to share when ready. 

Is there a launch date of your Petite fashion brand?

I do have a date in mind that I have not revealed quite yet! My email subscribers will be the first to know this date, so highly recommend signing up for that! 😉

What struggles have you had while launching your Petite fashion brand?

Realizing I cannot cater to everyone. As much as I want to immediately out-of-the-gate offer a large range of sizes, a variety of colors, or a huge collection with many pieces – it is just not feasible. I have struggled with narrowing down these first pieces, because I have a million ideas I cannot wait to create!! 😂

My current struggles are getting the fit ‘just right”. The fit and proper measurements are key for a specialized brand that caters to petites. This means lots of sampling and tweaking as we go.  

Also, while not necessarily a struggle per say, just trying to teach myself patience and accepting how long it takes to launch a brand. So much goes into this that people do not realize. It can easily take up to 1-2+ years before launching a clothing brand.

Honestly, just navigating starting a clothing brand as a whole has been quite the learning experience! It is all new to me and I am making mistakes along the way, but growing and learning from them. It can be challenging, but it is all very exciting to me! I am beyond determined to make this work no matter what obstacles get thrown my way! 🙂

Lately I read a lot of comments attacking small brands for not offering all sizes. It is not possible for small brands offer all sizes and, honestly, it is not your responsability! In my opinion, XS-XL is amazing already! I am saying it as a woman who used to be XL and now I am M. I feel better, clothing fits me better and shopping experience is better! I wish you all the luck and hope one day I will own something from your Petite brand.

What would you tell other Petite women that want to start their Petite fashion brand and business? How to get confidence, strength, and motivation?

Just GO FOR IT! The best thing you can do is simply start. There is plenty of room for petite brands – it is so needed! Learn as much as you possibly can (highly recommend the “Start Your Fashion Business” course by Stephanie Srikandi which is where I learned everything I needed to) 

You do NOT have to go to fashion school to start a clothing brand – I didn’t!

I have learned that confidence comes from making promises to yourself and following through with them. For example, if you tell yourself you will wake up to work out and actually do it → you feel confident in yourself! 

Learning to not seek outside validation from others or from social media and believing in yourself. All the answers you need and seek are already within you. 

You have to get your own mind right first, because business and entrepreneurship are not easy !
You have to learn to accept things won’t always be perfect and to see failures as opportunities for growth and improvement. And always, always, always practice GRATITUDE! 

Amazing tips! LAST SHORT QUESTIONS BEFORE WE END:

Your 2-3 TOP Petite brands/retailers and why?

Banana Republic – they are hit or miss size wise, but I feel they offer higher quality “effortlessly chic” / timeless pieces. I have gotten some of my favorite silk pieces and dresses here.

ANN TAYLOR – they are great for your classic staple office wear and business attire.

J CREW – is a Petite fashion brand with pretty nice staple pieces (think coats, cashmere sweaters, classic t-shirts).

Here is the list of a few Petite fashion brands.

Your MUST-KNOW style tip for Petite women?

Dressing for YOUR body type by first knowing your measurements. Knowing your measurements is key because then you can figure out your body shape and dress for that body shape. 

A lot of times we try to replicate outfits we have seen on other people, and wonder why it doesn’t look as flattering on us. This is because we all come in our own unique shapes and sizes – so creating balanced proportions personalized to YOUR body can make all the difference.
I created a petite style guide that can be accessed for FREE that includes some of my favorite style tips!🙂

Thank you so much Jessi! Cannot wait to see all the collection! This was the interview with a New Petite fashion brand- Petite Culture! Hope you enjoyed!