Love U Magazine Butterfly Issue, Fall 2017 | Page 32

T
h e c at w al k f elt ali v e as
g or g e o us m o d els fr o m all
o v er t h e gl o b e str utt e d
t h eir st u f. h e w e at h er
c o o p er at e d f ull y a n d
t h e d esi g n er’s cr e ati o ns
c o ul d n’t h a v e as k e d f or
b ett er r e pr es e nt ati o n. O n e of t h e m ost
i m p ort a nt as p e cts of t h e d a y w as t h e
g u ests. Ni k ki Cl ar k e, f o u n d er a n d h ost
of R o g ers ‘ h e Ni k ki Cl ar k e S h o w,’ a n d
pr esi d e nt of O nt ari o Bl a c k Hist or y
S o ci et y, w as o n e of t h e s p e a k ers. S h e
m e nti o ns t h at s h o ws li k e t his ar e vit al o n
s e v er al di f er e nt l e v els:
“I t hi n k it’s i m p ort a nt t o bri n g pl us-
si z e visi bilit y t o e v er y o n e i n t h e w orl d
b e c a us e it is a si g ni i c a nt
c o m m u nit y. All t h e l o v el y
s h a p es a n d cl ot h es ar o u n d
us--I’ m gl a d t h at c h a n g e
is h er e a n d t his a b e a utif ul
r e l e cti o n of s u p p ort.”
K e y n ot e s p e a k er Jill
A n dr e w als o d eli v er e d
a i er y s p e e c h o n t h e
i m p ort a n c e of r aisi n g t h e
pr o il e of t h e pl us si z e
c o m m u nit y. A n dr e w, c o-
f o u n d er of B o d y C o n i d e n c e
C a n a d a, is a n o uts p o k e n
a d v o c at e of t h e c ur v y
m o v e m e nt a n d s a ys t h e ti m e
t o b e s h y a n d wit h dr a w n is l o n g p ast:
“ S h o ws li k e M ali a I n di g o C or p or ati o n’s
T or o nt o Pl us Si z e F as hi o n S h o w is s a yi n g
‘ o ur b o di es m att er’. Yo u c a n b e c ur v y,
y o u c a n b e c o n i d e nt, y o u c a n b e t h e ‘ F’
w or d - f at - a n d it’s o k a y! We ar e all h er e,
l o o ki n g f a b ul o us. We ar e b ot h c o ns u m ers
a n d pr o d u c ers. We’r e h er e t o st a y!”
S h e b eli e v es t h at f as hi o n c a n b e t h e
c at al yst t h at h el ps bri n g p e o pl e t o g et h er.
“ N ot o nl y is it a n o p p ort u nit y t o bri n g
p e o pl e t o g et h er, b ut y o u ar e s e ei n g a
di v ers e s et of a u di e n c e m e m b ers h er e.
h e o n e t hi n g t h at bri n gs us h er e is a
l o v e of f as hi o n, a l o v e of c ol or, a l o v e
of d esi g n, a l o v e of str u ct ur e. F as hi o n
is a l a n g u a g e a n d w e’r e h er e e x pr essi n g
o urs el v es i n o ur o w n u ni q u e w a y.”
Me g h a n Br a dl e y, f o u n d er a n d dir e ct or
of C ur v y E x p o w as als o a g u est at t h e
s h o w. As a pl us m o d el f or m a n y y e ars,
s h e h as s e e n t h e c h a n g es i n attit u d es.
Her w or ds f ell o n a n a p pr e ci ati v e a n d
u n d erst a n di n g a u di e n c e:
“ We h a v e d esi g n ers f or pl us si z e, w e
as r et ail ers ar e st arti n g t o e m br a c e it. It
h as c o m e a l o n g w a y, b ut it d o es n’t m e a n
w e d o n’t h a v e a l o n g w a y t o g o. I l o o k
ar o u n d a n d s e e all t h e p e o pl e t h at ar e
h er e t o d a y, w e’r e g oi n g t o
g et t h er e.”
h er e’s n o d o u bt t h at
c ur v y f as hi o n is d esti n e d
t o b e a m ai nst a y, a n d
d esi g n ers li k e Ell e M a d e
Well a n d b o uti q u es li k e
S e x y Pl us Cl ot hi n g cl e arl y
ill ustr at e d t h at o n t h e
r u n w a y. ‘ Pl us si z e’ is
i n cl usi v e of m a n y b o d y
t y p es a n d t his b e c a m e
o b vi o us as t h e m o d els t o o k
t o t h e c at w al k. Hei g hts,
si z es a n d s h a p es of t h e
girls all v ari e d gr e atl y, b ut
t h e st yl es m a n a g e d t o m a k e t h e m all l o o k
g or g e o us.
ali a I n di g o, t h e
f a c e b e hi n d
M ali a I n di g o
C or p or ati o n,
t o o k t o t h e st a g e
t o w ar ds t h e e n d of
t h e e v e nt. M ali a,
a c h art er e d a c c o u nt a nt, b usi n ess a n al yst
a n d b o d y p ositi v e a d v o c at e al o n g wit h
b ei n g a pl us m o d el, o f er e d a p assi o n at e
“ O ur
missio n is
to provi de
visi bilit y,
to provi de
e x pos ure...”
M
(t o p t o b ott o m, le t t o ri g ht) Al a b a m a Vale nti ne, C ateri n a M o d a, M all or y B. Ric h ar ds o n, M ar q uit a Willi a m