Marie Denee is the creator of the digital publication, The Curvy Fashionista, which serves as a revered voice within the plus-size vogue trade. With an MBA in advertising and marketing, Denee strives to encourage girls to be assured, stylish, and curvy.
Marie Denee is the creator of the digital publication, The Curvy Fashionista, which serves as a revered voice within the plus-size vogue trade. With an MBA in advertising and marketing, Denee strives to encourage girls to be assured, stylish and curvy. assured, and stylish.
Along with her profession beginning in retail, Denee noticed a must diversify the style choices for plus-size girls. Her fundamental aim is to share information and occasions for curvy girls in a world the place vogue for this neighborhood is commonly missed.
Denee shared with rolling out a typical day in her life, the imaginative and prescient for her model, typical stereotypes curvy girls can study to beat and the way 4 retail manufacturers can diversify their plus-size vogue.
How does having shallowness and self-worth affect a younger curvy fashionista’s confidence?
Having shallowness and self-worth impacts the alternatives of the youthful curvy fashionista in quite a lot of methods. The kind of media she consumes helps affirm or outline how she will be able to present up on the planet. Gaining access to platforms that mirror who she sees within the mirror helps empower her to succeed in for, dream about, or ideate her targets. You can’t be what you don’t see. Having self-worth defines what you’ll and won’t accept. Within the youthful curvy fashionista’s case, she is not going to accept half-baked vogue choices or the naked minimal in measurement inclusivity. She challenges manufacturers to do and be higher.
What’s your title and what does a mean workday appear like for you?
I’m the founder and creator of The Curvy Fashionista, a blog-turned-media platform. I usually begin my day at 5 a.m. After I’m via my first cup of espresso, I do a 30-minute stroll and journal. Taking time for myself has change into a staid course of for me. At 8 a.m., I dive into my to-do checklist for the day and into my emails. From there I verify on content material, deal with any conferences scheduled, and relying on the day, I’ll write, add merchandise to our store TCF part, or perform a little research. I respect the randomness and uniqueness of every day. I wrap up my day largely round 2 p.m. and from there, I loosen up, socialize, meet up with associates, or lay out on the sofa and atone for my TV reveals.
What’s your administration type for creating gifted management?
I’m really within the means of discovering and creating my superb type. I’ve made fairly a couple of errors up to now and now I discover myself engaged on my mindset in enterprise operations and the way that impacts my management type. I’ll say that I undoubtedly look for many who have confirmed expertise, who’re self-starters, who take delight of their work, and who don’t must be micromanaged. I’ve been listening to John Maxwell’s Management Podcast to know the varied parts and the appliance of servant-based and transformational management; which is what I’m drawn to.
What’s your imaginative and prescient in your model, The Curvy Fashionista?
I envision TCF to be a family title on the subject of all issues plus-size vogue. I see TCF sitting subsequent to Who What Put on and The Zoe Report, and the one distinction is that we function from a plus-size perspective. I see TCF being a venture-backed firm, offering sources to the neighborhood, and investing within the varied communities inside the plus-size trade. I wish to create varied kinds of applications that nurture and develop expertise in addition to present the area and sources for creatives to execute initiatives for his or her portfolio.
What are the 2 main productions or occasions you want to extra company assist for?
We now have The Domesticate Awards, created to assist and champion the indie plus-size designers of colour who’re main the cost in innovation and magnificence. We’re engaged on securing further manufacturers to offer assist and to affect the muse of those designer’s enterprise ecosystem. Oftentimes, we have no idea what we have no idea. Particularly if we’re self-taught, pursuing a ardour, or have developed into an area. I might like to have The Domesticate Awards have the ability to present greater than money to those indie designers. I might like to see enterprise assist within the type of applications, advertising and marketing, PR, and merchandising supplied to those designers.
For the TCFx sequence, I might like to see nationwide manufacturers take part on our manufacturing as we take our expo on the street. This one-day occasion is all about purchasing, socializing, and supporting the neighborhood. As plus-size individuals solely have entry to eight% of vogue. It is very important deliver these manufacturers offline and in individual, to present the plus-size individual an expertise that’s tangible, surrounded by individuals who appear like them, and who’ve among the similar passions.
What’s the constructive affect of The Curvy Fashionista’s creative imaginative and prescient and capability?
I believe it will be significant that we’ve media that displays the neighborhood, that conjures up the neighborhood, and that’s by the neighborhood in quite a lot of methods. For me, I do know that I can do extra, particularly on the creative aspect, similar to producing extra editorials, lookbooks, and media that articulate what we’re lacking. This helps additionally present area and sources to plus-size creatives, designers, stylists, fashions, inventive administrators, and photographers. As I deal with increasing the muse of the model, we will do extra visually and creatively, to indicate and problem the stereotypes that also exist. We will have a good time the neighborhood’s modern and intensely gifted creatives in ways in which we’ve needed however have by no means had the area for.
Title 4 manufacturers The Curvy Fashionista helps and why.
First, Goal has been doing lots within the Black neighborhood and has labored with varied influencers. I might like to see that go additional and companion with us to deliver consciousness to the varied plus-size designers who’re making fashion-forward choices that want assist and sources to proceed their model. I could also be a bit audacious in my ideas, however what Goal did with Who What Put on, I might like to see them do this with TCF with a twist. The neighborhood has lengthy supported and gently referred to as out the model to be extra inclusive they usually have been. Now it’s time to degree that up in a enjoyable means.
Secondly, Nordstrom; having the area for modern plus-size vogue choices is a particularly wide-open area that I might like to see Nordstrom play with. I might like to see them develop their vary of designers and types within the plus-size modern area. They’re additionally positioned to problem their model companions to create plus-size ranges. Inclusivity is a should.
Thirdly, Torrid is the biggest plus-size model on this area and I might like to see them assist extra of the neighborhood financially. Torrid has the sources to assist occasions, have interaction the neighborhood, and to additionally have a good time the range of the neighborhood. There was numerous change not too long ago for the model and I’m hopeful that this can be an important factor to see and watch.
Lastly, Idea., which isn’t a plus-size model, however this is among the manufacturers that may personal this area in the event that they delved into it. Idea is understood for its smooth, stylish, and timeless fits and wardrobe-essentials. Proper now, there may be not a recent plus-size model that owns the go well with and profession put on choices. Positive, you could have plus-size manufacturers who even have fits however a model who lives and breathes this can be a wide-open lane that Idea may personal.
Describe what two stereotypes and challenges you could have overcome for The Curvy Fashionista motion.
My perspective goes to be a bit totally different as my background is in advertising and marketing. I’m glad to see the previous advertising and marketing stereotypes of plus-size girls “wanting to cover”, have fallen to the wayside. For the longest, patrons would solely present us with choices in black, navy, brown, and typically gray in the event that they had been feeling daring. Sure, there are these of us who love black, however there are additionally scores of us who love colour and prints.
One other stereotype is that we gained’t spend money on ourselves. The modern indie designers who’re thriving are those giving us vogue, edge, and playfulness at modern worth factors. Because the trade grows and people notice that the plus-size individual shouldn’t be a monolith, they are going to uncover that we’ve vary. Give us the identical various vary of views and existence as our straight-size vogue of us.
The place do you discover inspiration for The Curvy Fashionista?
I like to be a fly on the wall on social media. I’m at all times scrolling, wanting, and studying. Actually, I get my inspiration from the neighborhood I serve. The designers, influencers, stylists, creators, and the style curious. All of them encourage me. Right this moment it might be Gabi Recent, tomorrow it might be Jibri On-line. Rebdolls might take my breath away after which Kristine from TrendyCurvy confirmed me a hack that blew my thoughts. I enable myself to be open to the varied ways in which inspiration and creativity will present itself.
What’s it like being the CEO of The Curvy Fashionista?
I’m nonetheless studying what this implies for me. I believe the place I’m proper now could be taking all the teachings, errors, and milestones from the previous 15 years. I haven’t but outlined this for myself. What I’ve realized is that the position of a CEO is unquestionably totally different from the position of a founder. As I’m researching and studying about these variations, I’m additionally taking stock of myself to be sure that the following steps I take are extra intentional than those from the final three years.
Share your present high 10 songs in your automotive playlist.
Any and the whole lot Beyonce. Critically, my present playlist is [Beyonce’s] Renaissance, on repeat.
What’s your favourite colour?
Blue, teal, sapphire, and ocean blues.
Who within the creative world conjures up you and why?
Corine Roitfeld, arms down conjures up me. Her transition from Vogue to the CR-Empire is inspirational, however her eye and imaginative and prescient with the editorials and vogue are thrilling to observe. There’s a boldness, uniqueness, and edge that makes you are taking discover. I may even say that I’m always impressed by quite a lot of individuals and types.
Along with her profession beginning in retail, Denee noticed a must diversify the style choices for plus-size girls. Her fundamental aim is to share information and occasions for curvy girls in a world the place vogue for this neighborhood is commonly missed.
Denee shared how 4 retail manufacturers can diversify their plus-size vogue.
