Ladies, ever lament why all the world’s pants are designed for women who have gams longer than a football field?

An ongoing problem for petite gals of all sizes, and also the cry of help that Sunny Suppa, president, founder, and designer of the new pants line 5ft2in™, relied on in desperate moments. Being a petite gal who needed properly fitted pants, Sunny realized her calling and developed a new line especially for us smaller gals.

Introducing 5ft2in™, the pants line that caters to professional women sized 5’2” and under. Although not yet available in shops (keep faith, she promises very soon), they’re likely to change your world. I was lucky to get an interview with Sunny this month. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

1. What inspired you to begin your petite pants line?

Petite women inspired me! I was a design student who had just learned how to sew when professional petite women started to ask me to help them hem their pants for their office jobs. I never intended to do hemming work but soon the word spread and I became the hemming girl. I found myself surrounded by professional petite women who all encouraged me to start a clothing line for vertically-challenged women because there’s nothing out there in the stores.

2. Tell me about your line.

5ft2in™ is a pants line designed for professional petite women who are 5’2” and under in all sizes. My definition of a professional woman is woman who either works in an office or has her own business and she has to look professional in her work environment. I design pants that are perfect for business casual and can be worn from day to night. What’s special about these pants is that I did not use industry sizing standards to create them. Instead, I created my own sizing standards by studying the petite women’s bodies. The fit is really what make 5ft2in™ pants stand apart, and they don’t need hemming!

3. Can you tell me what your pants will be like? Materials, sizing, designs?

The material I used is a mix of rayon, polyester, and a touch of Lycra. It’s machine washable and extremely comfortable. All of the pants are made for petite women and they are tested on petite women. The first line for 5ft2in™ is a collection of classic inspired contemporary pants. As much as I enjoy fashion, it was important for me to create these classic pieces first to ensure that petite women out there have their closet essentials. Sometimes the hardest item to find at the store is a pair of simple black pants that fit!

4. When will 5′2″™ be available for purchase? Online/ in stores?

I’m talking to a couple of stores right now and there’s a possibility of a trunk show coming up at the end of the year. I’m also working on getting my e-commerce site up so petite women can shop to their heart’s content! Please check my website for updates, www.5ft2in.com.

5. What sizes will you carry?

Sizes offered right now are from 0 – 12, and the pants run small. As the company grows, I plan included other sizes from 00 all way to 28; however, for now, I have to start with what is manageable for my company size.

6. Will you only create pants or will you also have shorts, skirts, etc.?

In the beginning, there will be pants and capris. I plan to add more styles in the future, including shorts and skirts.

7. What pants do you currently wear? Can you recommend them to my readers?

Right now I usually wear Banana Republic or Ann Taylor. I have a really hard time finding pants that fits in the store for my height (I’m 5’2 ½”). I love Lucky Brand jeans.

8. I’m just barely 5′4″ and a 00P. Do you think you will leave enough material in the pant hem for girls my size to take the hem down?

I’m really glad you asked this question. One unique feature about 5ft2in™ pants is that they are made with generous hem that allows petite women the ability to cuff their pants and still have it look proper if they need to. For instance, they can cuff their pants during their commute on the subway, and let it down when they put on their heels at work. This feature has a great alternative benefit: if you happen to find the pants too short for you (a rare occurrence for petite woman) there should be plenty of material to take down.

9. Did I miss anything? Anything else you would like my readers to know?

In the beginning when I started this company, I hit some bumps in the road and it made me doubt what I was doing. I wondered: Did my company truly have potential? Once again petite women set me straight as I watch their reactions to 5ft2in™. From their feedback, I came to realize that in addition to designing clothes, I was doing something greater for petite women. I was making them feel good about themselves. And that’s when I realized the mission 5ft2in™ is about empowerment and giving back confidence to petite women. So I want your readers to know that I truly appreciate hearing from them and their feedback means a lot to me and the development of 5ft2in™. I do read all the e-mails I receive, and, though I may not always be able to write back to everyone in a timely manner, I am listening and please keep your feedback coming. My e-mail is info (at) 5ft2in (dot) com.

edited by serafina

Photo credit: Jennifer Graham Photography, www.jgrahamphoto.com

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 19th, 2007 at 11:55 am and is filed under Designers, Pants. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.