When Leo Hill from Swindon turned 15 in April, there was no doubt what he wanted for his birthday.
A huge Ed Sheeran fan, Leo had always loved singing and dancing along to his music.
When he saw the video to Sheeran’s smash-hit single ‘Bad Habits’, Leo immediately fell in love with the hot pink suit worn by the man himself.
So Leo’s Mum Clair sent a message to Dressability, a Swindon-based charity which makes and alters clothes for disabled people. Clair asked if they could create an identical suit that would allow Leo to feel like the superstar musician.
Dressability manager Sharon Tombs and her team immediately set about the challenge and created a made-to-measure replica of the suit that would fit Leo perfectly.
Volunteer seamstresses Edie & Anne took great joy from creating a bespoke outfit that couldn’t be bought on the high street and took several weeks to make sure the suit was just right for Leo, including an initial consultation and fitting.
The teenager was apparently shaking with excitement even at the consultation stage and arrived 45 minutes early for the final fitting and collection!
Dressability also made a black neck-tie for Leo which has an elasticated band so he doesn’t have to fiddle around with any knots and Edie even bought him a pair of braces featuring a musical note design to complete the look.
Leo wore the outfit for the very first time to his 15th birthday party at a local bowling alley and to his Grandad’s 70th birthday, getting lots of admiring looks and comments wherever he went.
Clair says her son was ‘beaming with happiness’ when he first tried the suit on and that she struggled to take it off him to put in the wash! She said the Dressability team were ‘all lovely’ and wanted to express her gratitude for making Leo’s pop star dreams come true.
