ABOUT

Flamin’ Gwenci specialises in clothing that truly understands and celebrates neuro-diversity. I am one of the 8% to have ADHD and the 1% to have Tourettes in the UK. I have 7 diagnosed conditions and I am proud of all of them, because they make me, me. I set up this business to help both myself and other young people feel confident to express pride in who we are and celebrate those traits that that make us unique.

 

I am fortunate that my parents have taught me to celebrate my uniqueness and they have fought to remove the barriers that I am presented with as a result of my conditions not fitting neatly into a neuro-typical world. But there's one barrier that my parents can't remove, a barrier that I and thousands of other young people are faced with on a daily basis. It's a basic human need, something most people don't think twice about, it's putting on clothes.

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what are sensory integration and processing difficulties?

It is estimated that 30-40% of people in the UK are neuro-diverse. Neuro-diversity refers to a variation in the human brain in terms of sociability, learning, attention, mood and other mental functions that are not a result of injury. In short, our brains are wired in a way that make us stand out from the crowd, even when we’d prefer not to. But Flamin' Gwenci wants to celebrate standing out form the crowd by being bold about the traits that are common across the neuro-spectrum.

 

Sensory processing and integration difficulties are concerned with the neurological processes required to organise and interpret sensations from your own body and the environment. This means we can have real problems being able to self-regulate, move, learn or interact with others appropriately. .

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I have tactile sensitivities / defensiveness. This means that I am over-responsive to touch and on bad days I struggle with anything touching my skin at all. It feels like sandpaper scratching me and a lot of people don't understand my reaction and think I'm being dramatic. I'm not - it really is painful for me to a level that can make me physically sick.  I'm lucky enough to have had support from some fantastic Occupational Therapists over the years who have taught me strategies to deal with this and I spend the first 10 minutes of the day doing the exercises they have taught me to prepare my skin to tolerate clothing. Sadly, I am not alone. It is estimated that between 5-16% of school children in the UK have a sensory processing difficulty of some sort. That’s thousands of us sat in classrooms every day not able to concentrate properly because of the clothes we’re wearing. It’s not something that’s talked about and this is why I wanted to start the conversation in order to raise awareness. And on a daily basis we’re hearing the same stories from adults as we are from children and young people, therefore we have extended the range to cater for adults too!

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what's so great about Flamin' Gwenci clothes?

We believe that everyone has a right to enjoy their clothes, not a duty to learn to tolerate them. Clothes should make you feel good rather than be a constant reminder of how you are different.

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And that’s why Flamin' Gwenci clothes stand out from the crowd. Sensory friendly clothing that enables you to start the day with one less hurdle to jump. Soft material, no labels, high quality, reasonably priced, hard wearing and functional yet with a tongue in cheek nod to the traits that are common across conditions - the traits we can do nothing about yet drive our family and friends wild! Suitable for wear under school uniforms and work clothes, making the early morning routine less of a fight and the day less of a battle.

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All of our clothes are 100% organic cotton, ringspun for extra softness and machine washable. Long sleeves without cuffs provide extra cover and less irritation, making outerwear easier to tolerate. Our designs are printed with lightweight heat transfer vinyl to provide softness and flexibility without compromising comfort.

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what do our customers have to say?

"I first purchased these socks when a friend shared Dylan's story. My 9 year old daughter is undiagnosed but for years the sock struggle (amongst others) has been difficult at best. Meltdown after meltdown as pair after pair are put on, fiddled with, then ripped off. I didn't hold out much hope but purchased through an offer. I gave them to her and she put them on, smiled, then put her shoes straight on. I was gobsmacked! Needless to say, I went back and ordered another 10 pairs to stock up! Thank you Dylan!"  

 

"These are amazing. I am coming back for more cause my son won’t wear anything else now. Game changer for our mornings Thank you"

 

"Really comfortable top and my daughter loves the design. This is the top she always picks from her wardrobe. Perfect for parties too!" 

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"Fantastic! At last a top he wants to wear! No battling to get dressed in the morning either - I can't thank you enough! We'll be investing in some under uniform tops as well"

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"Knowing that the shirts have been selected and designed especially by someone with sensory processing disorder themselves gives me  confidence as a parent that I can trust if I buy it she will wear it. I can't tell you how much clothing I've bought over the years thinking it would be fine but it's never been worn. Finally there's somewhere I can buy clothes from knowing that she will wear them. Thank you so much - one less worry for me!"

 

"We've had loads of compliments from other people when we've been out - its been so good to have the opportunity to explain sensory processing to other people in a positive way rather than having to explain it as a result of my child not being able to do something or join in with his friends"

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"My son is 11 - he also has diagnoses of ADHD, Tourettes, pans and slow processing. What you are doing is just amazing. Thank you for being the voice of so many who are silenced in order to fit in a box."

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My 12 year old with ADHD and Autism is giving you a massive round of applause and can't wait for the shop to open." 

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"This is amazing Dylan, you are raising so much awareness in setting up your business. I am ashamed to say I was not aware that people struggled with the sensory experience of clothing. Something that people like yourself have to endure every day. From this post alone I now see my able-bodied privilege in this and I can now share my awareness with others. Go you Dylan, such an inspiration at such a young age too"

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"My kids love the shirts, they said they are super cosy."

  

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Thank you for visiting the website and for your ongoing support. Together we can achieve our mission of improving mental health and wellbeing and raise awareness… because clothing shouldn’t have to be tolerated.