Shopping for clothes can be particularly tricky for petite women, who often find that standard sizing caters to a height range that leaves them struggling for a proper fit. Petite Femme, founded and directed by Annie Lee, is transforming this experience by addressing petite women's unique challenges. Unlike most brands that merely size down their designs for shorter women, Petite Femme crafts each garment with petite proportions in mind from the outset.
By designing specifically for an average height of 5’2", with carefully considered waist seams, shoulder seams, and necklines, the brand ensures a flattering fit that genuinely considers shorter torsos, higher waistlines, and narrower shoulders. In this exclusive interview, Annie Lee shares how feedback from over 500 petite women helped shape Petite Femme’s innovative collections, emphasizing the importance of setting new size standards.
1. Shopping for clothes can be tricky for petite women. What unique challenges do they face, and how does Petite Femme tackle these issues differently from other brands?
One of the biggest misconceptions is that sizing down leads to a better fit for petite women. The vast majority of brands design their clothes to fit an average height of 5’5 to 5’6. When you size down from a Size 8 to a Size 6, for example, the circumference decreases but the vertical length remains mostly the same. This is especially challenging if you’re a curvy petite woman. If you size down, you’re going to find there’s not enough room for your bust or hips, which is why it’s important to shop for your height as well as your circumference.
As a dedicated petite brand, we put the petite woman at the centre of everything we do. All of our designs are fitted to a height of 5’2, with an average inseam of 25 inches. Unlike other brands that develop their designs on taller bodies then create shorter versions for petite women, all of our garments are specifically designed to flatter petite proportions. Shorter bodies have shorter torsos, higher waistlines and narrower shoulders, so the ideal position for waist seams, shoulder seams and necklines is going to differ. Design elements also need to be scaled down in proportion to our height to maintain visual balance - belts are thinner, lapels are narrower, and buttons are just a fraction smaller.
2. You received feedback from over 500 petite women to help shape your initial designs. How did their insights influence the final collections? Are there any specific pieces of feedback that were game-changers for you?
Those early conversations really solidified the direction of the brand. What I was hearing from petite women was that they wanted well-fitting clothes that are comfortable, high quality and sustainable. It sounds simple, but most women struggle to feel good in the clothes they wear. We have a complicated relationship with fashion - on the one hand it’s deeply aspirational, but on the other, it constantly leaves us dissatisfied. Petite women are rarely seen or heard in the fashion industry, and what I noticed was a lot of frustration and resentment.
Beyond making beautiful garments, it became clear that Petite Femme’s mission was to heal our relationship with our clothes. We do this by taking a human-centred approach, focussing on the sensory and emotional experience of wearing something exceptionally comfortable and intentionally made. In a fast-paced market driven by urgency and FOMO, we aim to be the salve by offering quality guarantees and values alignment. Our designs are here to stay, and we encourage our customers to rewear, repair and care for their clothes.
3. Petite Femme is committed to sustainability and ethical practices. Could you share a bit about the steps you take to ensure your supply chain is transparent and maintains its integrity?
Firstly, I think it’s important to acknowledge that sustainability is a set of values, not an end goal, so this looks different for every business. For us, it means intentional design, small batch production, quality craftsmanship and renewable materials.
We only partner with small-scale manufacturers who produce in quantities of 50 units or less. This enables us to form close relationships with our suppliers, making it easier to trace how our products are made. Unlike mass production where garments may be made in multiple facilities by hundreds of workers, all of our garments are made in a single location, which means we have tighter quality control and a smaller environmental footprint.
We also choose to use branded fibres such as TENCEL™ by Lenzing and Bemberg® by Asahi Kasei. These fabrics come with certifications to ensure the raw materials are responsibly sourced and that the production process follows strict environmental and social standards. These brands provide a high level of quality assurance as well as full traceability of their supply chain.
4. Your collections are known for being versatile staples in a modern wardrobe. How do you strike the perfect balance between creating timeless pieces and keeping up with current fashion trends?
I think of trends as variations on a theme. Although our focus is on designing pieces that have lasting appeal, I like to understand the overall direction of the trend cycle because I want to make sure everything I create has relevance. Trends reflect what’s happening in the collective consciousness, so for me keeping up with trends is more about understanding the mood of the time, and finding inspiration there. On the other hand, timelessness is about finding a middle ground. With every collection, I try to strike a balance between formal and casual, structured and fluid, masculine and feminine.
5. The pandemic brought a lot of logistical challenges. How did you manage to overcome these hurdles while staying true to Petite Femme’s vision and values, especially during the crucial first two years?
The first few years of product development were incredibly challenging but I try to see every obstacle as an opportunity. There was an incident where I lost a roll of silk in transit. This was a huge loss for us as a small business, but I took advantage of the opportunity to develop a brand new colourway, which ended up becoming our best-selling Silk Satin Skirt in Hazelnut. When you have limited resources, you have to be intentional about every choice you make. You learn to become very discerning. Although heartbreaking at times, in hindsight, those setbacks actually helped strengthen our vision.
6. Looking ahead, what are your big dreams for Petite Femme? How do you plan to impact the fashion industry further and continue supporting the petite women community globally?
My ultimate vision for Petite Femme is to redefine how petite women experience fashion globally. By focussing on quality, comfort and thoughtful design, my goal is to transform our relationship with our clothes and our bodies, and inspire a broader shift toward human-centred and purpose-led fashion. I have big dreams to establish our own in-house studio and become a fully circular brand, offering seamless repair services and take-back programs. I plan to serve the needs of petite women at the highest level, extending our size range, expanding into new product verticals and building a platform that makes petite women feel celebrated and empowered.
