Sisters Amie and Bobbie-Lee Flynn noticed a gap in the fashion market – comfortable but stylish clothing for women with endometriosis. Drawing on their experiences with the condition, they launched their brand, Kuratd. Feature writer Molly Lee spoke to them about the process
You’re getting ready to go out for the night with friends that you’ve been putting off for weeks. You’re sat on the floor surrounded by different options of what to wear. What will be flexible when you bloat? What is comfortable for when you’re in pain? What actually fits you today? What hides how you feel inside?
Getting ready takes you a lot longer than other girls and brings you to tears from the frustration. This is all because of one health condition that you have – endometriosis.
This shared experience of those unfortunate enough to have the gynaecological condition is what fuelled sisters Amie and Bobbie-Lee Flynn to create their own clothing brand, Kuratd, to support this community.
Spurred on from their own personal experiences with endometriosis, they “wanted to create a brand that is not only just another clothing brand or fast fashion brand that’s on the high street,” says Amie. “We wanted one that brings women together and has a sense of community.”
Amie’s first experience of endometriosis was at a young age.
She was in the bathroom at the Fashion Retail Academy, where she studied, and experienced excruciating stomach pains. She couldn’t move. She was stiff and in agony. She hasn’t experienced labour, but she imagines that the pain was to that extent. They ended up calling an ambulance because they had no idea what was wrong.
This was the beginning of her long struggle. The struggle of endometriosis.
Every month from then on, Amie would randomly pass out. Waves of pain would hit her at the most random times. One minute she feels perfectly fine, then a wave comes over her causing her to shake from the intense pain until she passes out.
“It’s been such a taboo subject where no-one really knows about it,” says Amie, who struggled for 11 years before her formal diagnosis. “There’s this kind of consensus that you’re just making it up, that it’s a bad period and just part of being a woman.”
But it isn’t just a painful period. It’s a serious condition where the lining of your uterus grows out to other parts of your body. It throws your whole body off balance.
She was repeatedly told to go on the pill. Have a baby. Just deal with it. It wasn’t until May 2022 that she had her laparoscopy. A laparoscopic surgery is the key procedure to diagnose and attempt to treat endometriosis in patients.
This surgery confirmed she had stage four endometriosis. After such a long battle with health professionals, she didn’t care about the fact it was all negative news.
She cried because she knew she was right.
She wasn’t crazy and it wasn’t just a painful period.
While her little sister, Bobbie-Lee, was growing up, Amie hoped that she wouldn’t have to go through the same experiences as her. But hoping didn’t work.
Since her fifth period, Bobbie-Lee regularly passes out from incredible pain to the point where she sometimes wishes she would pass out. It’s only when she’s unconscious that she’s not in any pain.
“It’s scary because if I didn’t have Amie and know her experience, I would probably have believed the doctors when they said, ‘it’s part of being a woman, just take paracetamol’,” says Bobbie-Lee.
Unfortunately for many women struggling with this condition across the UK, they don’t know anyone going through the same thing as them. It’s a very isolating thing to go through, especially when it takes such a long time of battling to even get a diagnosis.
This is why the community aspect of their newly-launched fashion brand, Kuratd, is crucial to the sisters. As a part of their brand, they set up a WhatsApp community group which now has more than 230 members – all those who are struggling with endometriosis or similar gynaecological conditions.
“There’s a real sense of togetherness in the little community we have created,” says Amie. “We feel like now, we have not just a financial investment in our brand, but also a duty to these women. It’s going to mean more than just a dress or a piece of clothing.”
A common symptom of endometriosis is bloating, known as ‘endo belly’, which makes it difficult when choosing what to wear. Last Christmas, Amie wore a beautiful sequin jumpsuit but had to take it off after just ten minutes of being at the dinner table.
Her stomach ached. She couldn’t move. And this is why both Amie and Bobbie-Lee put so much time and dedication into finding fabrics for their fashion brand that can be flexible for fellow endometriosis sufferers.
‘Wear your strength’ became a slogan for Kuratd during their launch campaign in March. Instead of using just any models, they made sure all of them were everyday people who have endometriosis.
The uniqueness and thoughtfulness of the brand doesn’t stop there. All of their designs are crafted for not only comfort, but as a reminder of the strength and resilience of all those with endometriosis and similar conditions.
For example, the dress, due to launch in September this year, will feature eight pleats, corresponding to the average number of years it takes to receive a diagnosis of the condition.
This became a true physical reality for them when they hosted their first event in March 2025, where nearly 100 people attended. They launched their merch, sold out of pre-orders for their pyjamas and gathered feedback on products yet to go into production.
“The aim of the day was to have everyone in one room, sharing their experiences,” says Amie. “I think back to the early days of when I realised, I had endometriosis – it was a very isolating time.
“But millions of girls go through this, so having a small proportion of those in one room felt like a very safe place,” she continues.
The Kuratd community is continuing to grow as the sisters raise awareness of endometriosis through their social media platforms.
They hope that their fashion brand will make you want to go out, have fun and wear your strength.
Want to follow the growth of Kuratd? Follow them on social media below:
Instagram – @kuratdstudio
TikTok – @kuratdstudio
