It is a time old scenario, college girl meets hot guy, girl gets asked out on a date, girls goes to the mall and is unable to find anything to wear, as a result, girl creates her own business.
This is the true story of Camille Newman, founder of the online plus-size boutique PopUpPlus.com. Although the market of curvy women has gone largely ignored by the fashion world, today, this overlooked demographic is becoming increasingly popular and lucrative. According to Bloomberg, the plus-size industry is now valued at $17.5 billion. However, maverick and online entrepreneur Camille already knew the value of her curvy sisters and had her nose to the grindstone catering to this underserved market long before it became in vogue.
Eurweb had the pleasure to catch up with Camille Newman to discuss her online fashion boutique and why she feels most retailers are late guests to the curvy gal party.
Describe your background.
I graduated from college in 2002 with a liberal arts background. I have always had a love for fashion and I’ve always been curvy. I was actually on the path to a Ph.D. program, but I transitioned into corporate retail and moved back to New York City. I started out with Lane Bryant and since then for a number of companies for a long amount of time. I’ve been in fashion for almost 15 years [overseeing] store management, pricing strategy, planning and buying.
How did you come up with the ideas to start your business?
While in college, I met this cute guy and he asked me out for a date. My best friend and I went to the local mall and [we spent hours there]. I realized that I gained a lot of weight and I could not find anything to wear. I remember feeling terrible. It was a real blow to my self-esteem. I promised myself that no other girl that was my weight or heavier would ever feel like that. That is how my interest in the plus size industry started. I [thought of] a way to enter the industry with a low overhead and that’s how the idea for the pop up shop [was developed].
What are biggest misconceptions about plus-size women?
The biggest misconception is that we all have some insecurity, we overeat, and that we are unhappy and fat. A plus-size woman is a regular girl with some extra weight on. I’m saying we don’t have our challenges but I think our challenges [are increased] when you don’t see yourself being represented in the fashion industry. There are so many reasons why women gain weight. Many women have had children, they have issues with thyroids [which affects] a lot of African American women, which was my issue, it made me gain and keep the weight. I have met plus size women who are fashionable and taking style risk. Plus-size woman are have always been creative. I met a lady who tailored maternity wear. We have always been a creative group of fashionistas.
In your opinion, why these misconceptions continue to exist in our society?
On my Instagram, I will post a girl in a form fitting dress and people will have rude, nasty comments. “Oh my God look at her butt, yes she has shape wear on but why is she wearing that, [she should wear] something more flowing, [she should] cover [her] arms.” And the [July issue where] the Oprah Magazine article said that you can only wear a crop top if you have a flat stomach. I think we live in a society unfortunately, that fashion has been able to take over our minds and make you think that in order to be fashionable you have to be skinny, blonde, tall, and anorexic looking.
The reality is according to the United States Census 6 out of 10 women in the U.S. are a size 14 or larger. Yet, we allow the fashion industry to dictate our taste, but they shouldn’t be able to dictate what is good and real for a woman’s body. The fashion industry should not be allowed to perpetuate size-ism; they should not be allowed to make the majority of American woman feel bad about themselves.
What separates your company from other retailers that cater to the full-figure woman?
Posts tagged as “African-American plus-sized models”
Have you ever wondered why clothing brands only use smaller models to promote clothes? It’s no secret that the fashion industry favors a specific body type over all others, which is why it’s remarkably refreshing to see what Rum + Coke is doing. The fashion brand decided to only hire plus-size models to promote the clothes.
So why did designer Courtney Smith decide to use plus-size models in her photo shoots? She told Refinery 29 the following:
“I put women of color and ‘larger’ women in my photo shoots for many reasons. One, because I believe in the multiplicity of beauty, and two, there are so many women who seldom see women who look like them in advertisements.”
This is more than just a ploy to be different, however. Consider that, as Cosmo reports, most brands choose smaller models – even when advertising plus-size clothing! The pictures from Rum + Coke don’t just work because the clothes are beautiful (they are) or because the models are attractive (also true); it’s because the clothes are shown on the women who would actually wear them in real life.
Smith also told Refinery 29 that she wants women “to be their most beautiful selves.” She’s working to battle all the negative messages that women hear: “You’re not thin enough, you’re not young enough, you’re not light enough.”
Instead of peddling the belief that women “are inadequate unless they change something about themselves or purchase this or that,” Rum + Coke aspires to send a different type of message: “You, woman, are enough. [Women] are beautiful in whatever package they come in.”
Want more good news? The brand offers their clothing in sizes small through 3X. If you want to support Rum + Coke, you can shop the brand’s products here.
article by claire biggs via act.mtv.com
And the competition was stiff. The Models 1+ Instagram Competition was conducted specifically for Models 1+, the plus-size section of the agency, after a similar model search was done last year for the “straight-size” girls. But this year, the agency was flooded with entries: 5,600 entries (in the form of selfies) were posted on Instagram, 3,000 more entries than the straight-size competition in 2012.
And Charles, a 20-year-old model, came out on top. At 5 feet 10 inches tall and a size 16, Charles previously won Ms. Curvaceous UK in 2012, another plus-size modeling competition, and has reportedly worked for smaller designers. But her win, which comes with major agency representation, should put her on the map, hopefully gaining her recognition similar to Robyn Lawley (who became Ralph Lauren’s first-ever plus-size model this year).
“My dream is to be the face of clothing brand with a high reputation which is respected worldwide. Someone like Gucci or Prada,” said Charles. She might just make it, especially with the power of social media. It’s fitting that Charles’ win came via Instagram — Charles, like many younger models today, is all over Twitter and Instagram.
article via huffingtonpost.com