A message from Dianne at the Big Bloomers warehouse
When we started The Big Bloomers Company in the spring of 2007 it was never our intention to make Bariatric clothing – indeed, neither my daughter Laura, nor I had ever heard of the word bariatric….. but then, five years ago, unless you were ‘in the industry’ most people had not come across the term. We are now all familiar with bariatric beds, bariatric hospital wards, bariatric surgery (tummy tucks, banding, stomach stapling).
The need for a modest range of essential clothes of an indeterminately large size for people who literally had nothing to wear became apparent by 2010. Over the previous few years we had been approached by hospital almoners, matrons, ward sisters and nurses to see if we could send them something to fit patients who had been admitted wrapped in towels, tablecloths or with two sheets safety pinned together at the shoulders. We couldn’t help, there was simply nothing large enough in our range which, at that time stopped at an 8XL (UK36/38)
Eventually, Brenda Flanagan found our website and after a lot of cajoling, she told me that she weighed about 42 stones. I said that we would make a lounger for her, but I would need to know her hip measurements because I had absolutely no idea whatsoever how big this garment was going to have to be. Eventually, Brenda allowed one of her carers to measure her, hips etc and that’s how the Freesize35 range of clothing started. Brenda was thrilled with the lounger and is trying hard to persuade us to introduce another colour as she is
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Brenda Flanagan UK's biggest woman helped
us design our Freesize35 range for Bariatrics
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now feeling restricted because she has a choice of only black or cerise.
After the lounger came the unisex pants, the standard panties in 9XL (10XL should be on the website by June), then came the trousers which, admittedly, look more like leggings on Brenda, but we are hoping to have a larger size by April with three different leg lengths. Lastly, we introduced the nightie which is more or less the lounger in a lighter fabric (100% cotton jersey) and 4” longer. The hospital gown was included in the Bariatric range because, unfortunately, a side effect of being very overweight, is the fact that such people are often ill and need hospitalisation.
By the way -According to Wikipedia the word bariatric has been around since 1965 and it is the definition of the branch of medicine that deals with the causes, prevention and treatment of obesity. Presumably, the term Bariatrically Disabled will creep into the medical jargon anytime now-:)
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