Where did Curvy fashion begin? where is he today? and what road still has to go?
Curvy fashion has seen enormous growth in recent years. More and more clothing brands are bringing their collections in plus sizes. Now, we curvy people have an infinite number of options to express who we are.
To understand where we have reached today and what the future holds for us, we must go back in history to 1800 . In which the shape of the ideal woman era sinuous and curvilinear . Things changed in the early 1900s because clothing items were no longer made to order but with one mass production , thanks to the new technologies that were popular in those years. Large-scale distribution has made variations in clothing more difficult and therefore a homogenization of curves and sizes.
The first shop
In the 1904, the first exclusive retailer of curvy sizes appears in New York , the founder is Lena Bryant (aka Lane Bryant); She earned her reputation for the clothing she made for pregnant women.
Albert Malsin (Lena's partner) focused on the company's business operations. By 1911, Lane Bryant's store was grossing $50,000 a year . His great potential was limited, as none of the New York newspapers would accept advertising for maternity dresses . Tradition still dictated that such matters not be discussed in the press.
It took the Malsin family until 1912 to convince the New York Herald to accept an advertisement. When the paper finally did, Lane Bryant's entire stock was sold out the next day. The company's success was now assured.
America in the 1940s, it was trying to establish itself as a global superpower in the fashion industry . Consequentially, the idea of who the “American woman” was has been questioned. It was decided that she was tall, athletic and round . Unfortunately, there has been no investment in creating clothes for women who don't fit into those categories.
Even when retailers sold curvy clothing, the illustrations in the advertisements did not realistically represent the women they were selling to, or the language used was borderline offensive.
In the 1960s, revolution was everywhere. Taking inspiration from the Vietnam War protests, women have united to fight weight bias and discrimination through the radical fat acceptance movement. Although the movement was not about fashion, it set the stage for the change in attitude that occurred in the industry the following decade.
In the 1970s, fashion became more bitter in trying to hide and hide our natural shapes. A modeling agency was even launched during this time that exclusively used curvy and petite models.
It was only in the 80s that "plus size" became the bellwether for sizes 14 and up. High-end designers have also started getting in on the game, including Valentino and Givenchy, amid a decline in luxury clothing sales.
Thankfully, BBW, known as Mode's predecessor, the first plus-size fashion magazine , satisfying our community with lifestyle, wellness and fashion content. Early issues included ads from readers asking designers to make clothes in our sizes . The magazine ended up taking a different path, but, luckily, in 1997 it introduced Mode magazine.
Magazine Mode was dedicated exclusively to the plus-size fashion community and regularly brought work to designers and models who didn't have much exposure elsewhere. The magazine closed in 2001, but its few years are one of the most important moments in the history of plus-size fashion.
The 2008 saw the start of the plus-size fashion blogosphere , with big names like Marie Denee, Gabi Fresh, and Nicolette Mason leading the charge. 2009 brought the first year of Full Figured Fashion Week, hosted by former plus-size model Gwen DeVoe. We no longer had to rely on magazines or advertisements to represent us - there were stylish, confident women wearing sizes 14 and up showing us that we belong in fashion
The first plus-size fashion blogosphere paved the way for the bloggers and YouTubers we know and love today and heralded a new era of body positivity.
Nowadays, the Plus-size models grace magazine covers and walk the catwalk And actresses of all sizes are protagonists in cinema and TV . There's no shortage of fantastic ones curvy fashion blogger to watch and read. Even so, we still have a long way to go. Some curvy fashion brands continue to reference “slender” technical aspects, size 14 women are still not sufficiently represented in the media, and women do not all have the same access to the same number of clothing options.
Our aim as a store is to offer a wider range of clothing to cover your needs and style preferences.
– The Sparrow
