Dressing the Petite for Success: Thai American launches clothing line for women 5’2” and under
June 9, 2008
OAKLAND, Calif. — For fashion designer and entrepreneur Sunny Suppa, the frustration of finding well-fitting business attire meant only one thing: Do it yourself.
Last year, with the guidance of local entrepreneurship training programs, she struck out and started her own clothing company specifically for women 5 feet 2 inches and shorter. Appropriately, the company’s name is “5ft2in.”
Suppa (shortened from Suppakijjumnong) will be launching 5ft2in at the Ignite! New Business Expo on June 6 at Frank Ogawa Plaza in downtown Oakland, along with 20 other new businesses. The event will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is free to the public.
The talented designer spent her first 10 years in Bangkok, Thailand, after which she and her family moved to Florida. She earned a degree in fashion design from the International Academy of Fashion and Technology, and a second degree in apparel manufacturing management from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. After graduation, she worked for Gap, BCBG and a private label, making apparel for Arden B., Anthropologie and Frederick’s of Hollywood.
Though Suppa’s resume continually grew, it wasn’t until she enrolled in CEO Women, an Oakland-based entrepreneurship training program, that she became serious about starting her own enterprise. Suppa acknowledges the program pushed her to finally get her business off the ground.
Emphasizing that continual learning is an important factor to being a good entrepreneur, Suppa also enrolled in Urban FIRE, an entrepreneurship program offered through Oakland Adult and Career Education and created by the social justice education program Urban VOICE.
Today Sunny Suppa has built a niche clothing company that discards traditional clothing sizes for petite women, a system that merely scaled down sizes. Her first line of pants, she said, was developed from and tested on 5-foot-2-inch women, resulting in a superior fit.
Boku Kodama, who founded both the Urban FIRE program and the Ignite! Expo, said that entrepreneurship is a critical skill set that needs to be made available on a broader scale.
For more information on Ignite!: boku@urbanvoice.org.
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Comments
9 Responses to “Dressing the Petite for Success: Thai American launches clothing line for women 5’2” and under”
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That’s an awesome idea! Definitely in need.
Oh is so cool, I just love love the idea.
Where can I learn more about this brand?
Finally, a pair of pants that will fit without a visit to alterations! I’m super-excited about this label. =)
Go get em Super Sunny!! Glad to see you are up these days!!!
Here’s her website- http://www.5ft2in.com
Congratulations Sunny. Your gifted designs expressed through a wonderful style bring such great benefit to your clients. You are an inspiration!
Such a great idea, being 5ft even I too know the need, glad to see Sunny doing so well.
So proud of you Sunny!