This one’s for all the petite-sized ladies who have received the shorter end of the stick in the height department. If you fall under the 5’2 (approximately 157 cm) category, shopping for clothing tends to be an experience that leans more towards being cumbersome than it is enjoyable. Being fun-sized myself, I wholeheartedly relate to the woes of being a shawty.

There is always more denim than I have legs. Dresses that double up as floor sweepers they were never intended to be. Jumpsuits that turn MC Hammer pant equivalents – a part of fashion history none of us should be revisiting. The perennial struggle, however, draws to an end with the conception of labels built to cater specifically to this oft overlooked demographic.

Amongst them is Petite Studio NYC, a small but prominent indie label dedicated to creating clothing for petite women of all shapes and sizes. Conceived in 2016 by Jenny Wang and her partner Matt Howell, the brand was very much a result of the grievances Wang encountered while shopping as a woman of a smaller frame herself.

Having noticed a lack of trendy, fashion forward designs in the marketplace, Wang took it upon herself to fill the gaping hole in the industry. A woman on a mission, Wang set out to build a wardrobe of staple pieces for others who, like her, find themselves pulling out their hair finding for clothing that fit. Her, a perfect blend of vintage silhouettes well informed by contemporary trends, have fast risen as a favourite amongst Instagram’s petite starlets. You could think of Wang as a saviour in fashion for more reasons than one.

Beyond serving a demographic so clearly overlooked, Wang also engages in smaller production runs in doing her bid to reduce waste. At Petite Studio NYC, constructing a garment takes an average 20 hours, markedly longer than the four hours clocked in at most fast fashion houses. Painstakingly crafted with hand-stitched detailing, its interior carefully lined and the seams bounded for longevity, these are staple pieces you can expect to be a part of your closet for a very long time – investment pieces sans a hefty price tag.

Being 5’4 has not stopped Kim Kardashian from rising to acclaim as an international fashion icon and now the rest of us, who do not have the luxury of an entire team of tailors and seamstresses, can take our shots at dressing to impress.

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