The Undress Kickstarter and interview with the founders

Hiya!

Happy Saturday! I am super excited to bring you details of a Kickstarter campaign I fell in love with from the moment I saw it. The Undress is a mobile changing room with the slogan 'Change clothes in public without ever getting naked.' It appealed to me in so many ways - it's a great idea with a bunch of novel features, it helps women to not be exposed in public, and it's a solution for a lot of problems. It's available up to a US size 28. Watch the video and let me know what you think. You can also check out The Undress Kickstarter page which runs until Nov 1st.



I thought it was such a good idea that I shared the Kickstarter on Twitter and Facebook and the Undress team contacted me and offered me the chance to interview April and Dennis, the smiley founders of The Undress. How fantastic! *bites knuckles* I spent a while thinking of which questions to ask, then fired them off in an email, and April and Dennis filmed a Youtube video with their answers.

I asked:

1. How did you first come up with the idea of the Undress - was there one situation which triggered the idea, or was it more of a slow burning thing?

2. Do either of you have any previous experience in the garment industry?

3. I'm really glad you're making the Undress available in a wide range of sizes. Why is important to you to include larger ladies in your sizing structure?

4. Do you think your size range will pave the way for more active wear solutions for larger ladies? It seems to be the case (in the UK at least) that it's very hard to get fashionable active wear in larger sizes, perhaps as the assumption is larger people don't exercise.

5. Have you been surprised by the success of the Kickstarter campaign so far?

6. Do you have any plans to expand into active wear at all?

Here are their answers.



I have pledged towards the Kickstarter because I believe in the project, and because I really want an Undress. I can think of lots of situations where having one would be useful. A few years ago when we went to my friend Helen's funeral, I decided after I'd left the wake that I wanted to change out of my funeral dress into something less sweaty and more comfortable for the 5 hour journey home - it was a boiling hot day. I ripped my dress as I tried to change in the car in the middle of a car park as it was impossible to do it and protect my modesty at the same time.

My preferred form of exercise is walking. James and I usually drive into the countryside for walks as fields are gentler on my sore Fibromyalgia-affected joints, but we avoid doing so in the summer as I HATE wearing sweaty clothes for the journey home. If I kept the Undress in the car or even on me, I could change wherever we were. Because I prefer taking outfit photos for the blog outside as the scenery is nicer, having an Undress would mean I could take more than one lot of outfit photos in the same day, because I could safely change in any place without being exposed.

It would bring the possibility of more activity into my life as I could do things, get sweaty and not have to do the head-down-don't-look-at-me thing. (I'm speaking to my fellow fats here when I say fat people dressed nicely and looking presentable is one thing, but if you're a fat person who's just exercised people tend to treat you like you're a contagious disease. Sweat is sweat people, it's no more gross on a fat person than a thin one!) I do avoid going out and getting sweaty as I dread the filthy looks I tend to get afterwards, but I'm sure it'd be a different situation wearing an Undress rather than some leggings and an old top.

What do you think about the Undress and have you got any questions?
Thanks for reading.
Leah xoxo

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