The first thing you notice about Emma-Jane is her bright orange pixie cut. She looks great. But because she is a wheelchair user, she can’t find a dance outfit that works for her. Enter The Unique Boutique, Channel 4’s new show that brings together designers, stylists and body-confidence experts to offer up gorgeous outfits for people routinely failed by high-street brands.
We think we are used to the format of shows like this: a hard-up person in need of a makeover comes to be rescued by some glamorous TV personalities. But The Unique Boutique feels different, because we are so unused to seeing disabled people and their bodies catered for, and indeed celebrated, by the fashion world. Yet here they are, front and centre.
Victoria Jenkins, an accessible fashion designer and one of the experts, sums up the programme’s feel when she describes Emma-Jane’s style as “dopamine dressing”. The show is upbeat and colourful, just like the clothes the experts throw together, and hammers home two important, positive messages. First, that everyone – regardless of illness or disability – deserves clothes in which they look and feel fantastic. And second, that disability can be fun – a reason to experiment and try new things. There are bright block colours, diamante galore, even a jaunty neckerchief. Figures are hugged and waists accentuated. The designers look fabulous and, by the end, so do the participants. Everyone comes away glowing.
Like all shows of its kind, The Unique Boutique relies heavily on the participants’ emotional backstories to get viewers invested in their transformations. A few moments veer too close to what disability activists call “inspiration porn” – the use of a disabled person’s struggles and achievements to make a largely nondisabled audience feel better. But just as the cringe factor threatens to kick in, the experts pull it back. It helps that some of them are disabled themselves. When Victoria comforts an emotional Lisa, whose body has changed due to cancer treatment, by acknowledging that she has “been through so much”, it comes across not as corny but as an act of solidarity. This is the value of authenticity.
That value is evident throughout. The experts’ real knowledge of disability means they understand their clients’ needs, whether practical or emotional. They know the absolutely crucial importance of stretch (you try getting uncooperative arms into a bodycon dress); they also know what Emma-Jane means when she says she wants to be “noticed but not in the wrong way”. Disabled people are often made into public spectacle – stared and gawped at – but not really seen for who they are. Understanding that dichotomy means the experts can ensure Emma-Jane is seen as she wants to be seen.
That authenticity also matters when the designers meet Hugh, a wheelchair user who wants to get back on the dating scene. So often, mentions of disabled dating are met with a wince, but here everyone just wants to make sure Hugh is dressed to impress. Indeed, in the first episode, whether it’s dating, going out with friends or performing, disabled people are shown at the heart of social lives from which we are frequently excluded. That disability is approached in such a natural, relaxed manner means the show doesn’t leave you with the unpleasant pit-in-the-stomach feeling that usually comes from watching disabled people through the nondisabled gaze.
It could do more to explain the forces that render disabled people invisible in the fashion world. Go down any high street or quaint row of boutiques and a not insignificant proportion of the shops are physically inaccessible, with stepped entrances or narrow aisles. Then there are the accessible changing rooms used as storage areas. And that’s before you get to the clothes themselves, all made for the same nondisabled bodies and equipped with the tiniest of buttons. There is an unspoken assumption that disabled people don’t care how we look, because we must inherently dislike our bodies, so we must not be interested in buying new clothes. Therefore, big brands don’t view us as target customers. It would be a more powerful show if The Unique Boutique could make a stronger case for proper representation and accessibility. After all, the show is a perfect model for inclusive design without hefty price tags.
But perhaps exploring this in detail would put a dampener on all the glitz and glamour. Instead, we get to see a beaming Emma-Jane show off her sparkling gown, a stunning Lisa reclaim her body and a newly confident Hugh ready to hit the town. More of this representation, please, Channel 4 – and everyone else.
Unique Boutique is available on Channel 4
