My counselor commented today that I talk a lot more about fashion than I ever did before. I told her it's because I've accepted my size, that I'm fat, and that it's not my body's fault that I can't wear all the cute stuff I try on. I told her that my sister and I would love to start our own company exclusively for fat chicks. None of this frumpy, out of date stuff offered to extended plus-sizes at Catherine's or the really young - as in oodles of sequins, tacky embroidery, and cartoon characters - stocked at Fashion Bug. We want to create fashion-forward, trendy, inexpensive clothing that ACTUALLY FITS women with large bodies and "imperfect" figures.
I also want to sell shoes that are cute, stylish, supportive of fat women's weight, and fit fat feet of all shapes and sizes. I spent hours looking for shoes like that online after visiting several brick-and-mortar stores, and could not find any. What to do?
We're going to open our own clothing boutique at some point, we hope. We'll design and manufacturer the clothing and shoes ourselves. The only caveat is that I need to learn to sew. I've made a few forays in that direction, but there's a lot more I need to learn about using a sewing machine and a serger! I'll also need to learn how to make shoes, but I figure I'll start
here.
I'd also like to carry hard-to-find items for ladies who are off the standard charts, like bras in sizes beyond 46DDD, such as those sold by Decent Exposures. It would also be great to provide samples for women to try on before they order from an online store. They could try on a garment to see if they like the fit and style, then order it in the right size and color. It would take out some of the hassle of ordering sight unseen.
Do you think I'm crazy? Would you shop at a store like that? What kinds of things do you wish you could see in a fat chick store but never have?
Oh, and the benches in the dressing room would be deeper than 10 inches!
Comments (2)
I have the same fashion fantasy, except with petite clothing for women like me =) I think size acceptance is important and like you said you cannot fight the body type you are born with. It is too bad that most companies target the most common sizes, leaving the rest of us feeling marginalized and left out. Well where I live it is so rare to find something in my size that I buy most of my clothes and shoes on Ebay. People always think the racks are brimming with XSmalls but they aren't. And in fact I get as many skinny jokes/comments as some people get fat jokes/comments. So I get you, even though we are different body types.
The way that companies are successful is by meeting needs that are out there. This sounds like a real need, so why not go for it?