'I was hiding so many parts of myself': How ADHD and autism inspired a Leeds woman to create clothing brand
Clothing is something most people barely think about but for Olivia Drewery, it can determine whether she can get through the day at all.
Olivia, who has been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism, has co-founded a fashion brand aimed at making life more comfortable for neurodivergent adults.
She was first diagnosed in her early twenties but she remembers showing symptoms from a young age.
Olivia, who lives in Leeds, said: “It’s been a bit of a long journey over the course of my life.
“Socialising felt like a test and I would practice how to socialise when I was really little. I was also just really unorganised, chaotic, and hyperactive, but I always tried to hide it.
“I tried to conceal those parts of myself.”
Feelings of overwhelm, sensory issues, and difficulties balancing everyday tasks, continued as the 27-year-old pursued university and a nine-to-five job.
But it was only when she read an article about ADHD in women, that she discovered she could be neurodiverse.
Olivia said: “I stumbled across an article about ADHD in women and girls and I could just resonate with it so much.
“I was experiencing all these symptoms that these women were experiencing and feeling, like I was hiding so many parts of myself to try and look like I had it together.”
After in-depth research and resonating with what she found, Olivia was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 23 in 2023.
ADHD explained why Olivia sometimes found it difficult to focus, keep organised, and regulate her emotions, however it didn’t completely answer why she struggled socially, or why she was more sensitive than others to things like bright lights or loud noises.
As Olivia read more about neurodivergence in general, she learned more about autism which made these other experiences make sense, and she was diagnosed at 24.
After her diagnosis, Olivia began sharing her experiences of life with ADHD and autism on social media. Her account @neurodiversing now has more than 1.1 million likes on TikTok and 170k followers on Instagram, and Olivia has created a community where neurodiversity is not only accepted but celebrated.
Olivia, like many others with ADHD and/or autism, sometimes finds clothing can be a strong sensory trigger.
She said: “I’m so picky about fabrics on my skin and different kinds of clothing and how it feels.
“I can’t go about my day unless I’ve got a particular outfit on.”
This experience gave Olivia the idea to create some form of fashion brand that navigates these challenges many neurodiverse adults face.
By chance, her future co-founder Loukas Hambi messaged her with the same idea which felt like “a sign from the universe”. As the pair joined forces with fellow co-founder Sam Wright, Club Neuro was born.
Club Neuro is a fashion brand which offers sensory-friendly clothing to empower people who are neurodiverse.
Their latest launch is a stim hoodie which features a stress ball in the cuffs and stim toys in the front pocket so that wearers can subtly stim in public.
Stimming, short for self stimulatory behaviour, refers to repeated movements and behaviours, often used to manage excess energy or calm an individual.
Olivia pointed out that while everyone may stim in some way, whether it be by tapping your fingers, fiddling with an object, or pacing around a room, stimming is part of everyday life for many neurodiverse people.
She said: “The thing is everybody does this at some point in their life but people with ADHD and autism there will be a high reliance on these behaviours as we use it to regulate our nervous system.
“It's a natural part of our life, it's built into our natural behaviours.”
Alongside hidden stim materials, the stim hoodie, which runs in sizes XS to 2XL, also features an enlarged hood to fit headphones underneath, thumbholes at the end of each sleeve, and is tag free.
The final design, which took more than 10 months to perfect, is the result of feedback from more than 4,000 votes of feedback, as Club Neuro’s online audience shared what they wanted in their fashion.
For Olivia, creating the stim hoodie and more generally building the Club Neuro brand is her dream career. She wants to use the brand and her online platform to promote better understanding of neurodivergence.
She said: “I’m very lucky that I’m in this team and I get to work on something that I’m so passionate about.”
“Because I’ve struggled so much in school settings, in university, in the workplace, in friendships, and social settings, I want to make sure that I’m raising awareness of ADHD and autism so people can see it themselves or recognise it in others, and so we can get the support we need.
“I feel like I’m doing the right thing in my life.”