Houston-based stylist Kimberly Williams was quietly battling stage 4 breast most cancers in 2022. As an alternative of going public, she saved the prognosis inside a good inside circle.
However earlier than stepping away from the highlight, she wished to go away the town she liked with one closing present: A joyful, affirming procuring expertise the place plus-size Black ladies may really feel seen, celebrated and styled.
“She didn’t need pity,” stated CURVchella co-founder Hollie Townsend. “She wished to say thanks by creating one thing that made ladies like us really feel entire.”
With the assistance of household, buddies and a fierce will to tug it off in simply three months, CURVchella was born. Held in a Houston venue full of high-end vogue distributors, music and sisterhood, the primary occasion drew over 400 ladies from throughout the nation.
“They got here from Chicago, they got here from Atlanta. And the vitality? You could possibly really feel it,” Townsend stated. “Individuals had been crying. Girls had been strolling in saying, ‘I’ve by no means felt like this earlier than.’”
Williams went on to recuperate, and along with her restoration got here a brand new mission. CURVchella expanded into one thing a lot deeper than a vogue expo. It turned a platform, a assist system and a motion.
CURVchella returns as a procuring expo and a thriving cultural motion rooted in radical self-love, sisterhood and empowerment. Kicking off Friday, August 1st, with a panel titled “Expensive Future Hubby,” the occasion weaves collectively vogue, relationships, wellness and entrepreneurship whereas rewriting what it means to thrive in a physique the world isn’t all the time able to rejoice.
“We wish high quality. We wish to really feel luxurious. And we need to stroll right into a retailer and know there’s one thing for us.”
Hollie Townsend, CURVchella co-founder
The occasion has grown past racks of size-inclusive vogue into one thing a lot deeper. On this house, curvy Black ladies discover group, share sources and redefine magnificence and success on their phrases. Previous occasions have included wellness workshops, monetary literacy classes, relationship panels and an all-inclusive vogue present at The Galleria, Houston’s high-end retail hub.
CURVchella’s impression doesn’t cease on the runway.
The group’s ongoing partnership with Bridig’s Hope, a transitional housing program for girls experiencing homelessness, is a cornerstone of its mission. Final yr, CURVchella donated contractor luggage stuffed with new clothes, toiletries and make-up curated to suit the wants and sizes of every girl coming into a brand new chapter in her life.
“Beacon Home is our child,” stated Townsend. “We be sure these ladies stroll into their new houses with dignity, with the whole lot they want. That’s what CURVchella is actually about, elevating ladies in each manner.”
CURVchella additionally has a non-profit arm referred to as CURVchella Cares. The group goals to enhance ladies’s lives by elevating consciousness about breast most cancers, addressing meals insecurity, offering female hygiene sources and selling plus-sized teen/promenade initiatives in Houston.
This yr, the occasion expands into new areas throughout Houston, together with a key collaboration with the Acres Residence Chamber Farmers Market, the place CURVchella will host line dancing, procuring and a meet-up of Black-owned companies. The partnership is a chance to attach empowerment with wellness.
“CURVchella is about matching your inside and outer magnificence,” stated Acres Residence Chamber Farmers Market consultant, advised the Defender. “The farmers market provides one other layer by introducing the group to recent meals, holistic well being and the concept we will develop and nourish ourselves.”
The Market hopes the occasion will encourage attendees to give attention to the inside work and enhance the standard of their well being. Black ladies face distinctive dietary challenges, increased weight problems charges, power ailments and issues as a result of elements like socioeconomic standing, entry to wholesome meals, cultural influences and historic inequalities.
CURVchella’s long-term aim goes past annual occasions. Williams and Townsend envision a everlasting house akin to a group hub for Black ladies. On this place, folks can get monetary recommendation, healthcare steerage, emotional assist, or just really feel seen.
“There’s no house like that only for us,” stated Townsend. “I need CURVchella to be that place. A secure haven for Black ladies to get no matter they want, well being, wealth, fashion, all of it.”
For extra info, go to CURVchella.com.
