I spoke with Brazilian designer Karoline Vitto who has been one of the powerhouses fighting for size inclusion during London and Milan Fashion Weeks, highlighting all types of bodies on the runway when others wouldn’t. I asked why creating extended sizes was important to her.
“I’ve always been motivated by construction and pattern cutting, and working with plus-size was a way to explore fashion in a way that felt true to my nature as a designer,” she told me. “It is more exciting for me to create within a range of shapes and sizes, rather than be restricted by 3 of the smaller sizes.”
“The more I grow as a woman and as a designer, it also means paying homage to the women in my life, who for the most part, are not sample size,” Karoline added.
So we do have people fighting in our corner, it would just be great if the higher end fashion houses also followed suit. We all know that it’s an unwritten rule if you see a fellow plus-size person in an amazing outfit; you tell them. You make a proper fuss and almost certainly ask where their look is from, too, because finding genuinely good clothes for plus-sized bodies is no mean feat, we wish the rest of the industry gave the same energy we give each other.
How I tested the best plus size brands
As the plus size industry as a whole is worth billions of pounds, it’s also relatively small compared to core sizes, so I am lucky in a sense that all of the below brands I have worked with professionally and also bought items from them as a consumer.
Looking into all factors such as size chart, materials and making sure the online customer reviews on the site match up with my personal opinion of the designer or brand, not to mention attending as many IRL press events for upcoming new in collections that showcase curve.
Many of the labels featured are independent or emerging, too, proving that it’s not just household names that are paving the way. To read more about how we choose and how we test, click here.
Why you can trust me
As a plus size model who has been navigating this industry over the last decade, I’m giving you my personal go-to list of the best plus size clothing brands that love us curvy women just as much as we love them.
Read ahead for the designers that are giving me exactly what I want: fun, current, and exciting fashion trends that often us plus size humans are completely left out from. They’re not only providing us all with a place at the table, but they are also throwing in a reclining chair for us to feel fully comfortable too.
Below: 23 plus-size fashion brands that made me fall back in love with clothes.
Size range: from UK 4 – 30.