Plus Size Senior Thesis

The average woman in America is now a size 16. I found that in the fashion industry there is a huge gap for women who are considered plus size. We don't have clothes that fit our curves and make us feel comfortable about ourselves.

As a fashion design student at Parsons I am creating a more relatable type of garment for women who haven't been deemed good enough for the fashion industry.

My vision started my junior year of college when I found that I was creating clothing for a size I knew I could never relate to. I didn't realize up until that point that it was harming not only my self-esteem to know that I could never fit into an "industry size 6", but millions of other women across the globe as well.

I decided to work with a size that was a close as possible to the national average, only to find that there were no mannequins that fit the size range I wanted to work with at the school. With support from my peers, I created an online petition that circled around the school for a few weeks. Little did I know that this would have a bigger outcome than just school-wide signatures.

I quickly garnered over 8,000 signatures worldwide and what started off as a junior year project became something much bigger than myself or just mannequins. Women around the world also felt the need for designers to step up to the plate and design for the majority of the women living in the US and around the globe.

Inspired by the feeling of opulence of the Rococo era and a book titled "The Art of Seduction" by Robert Greene, I'm creating a 4 look collection of bridal attire ranging from jumpsuits to gowns using my own original textiles and lace.

This thesis will be one of the first steps I make towards creating a more inclusive fashion industry for all of us.

(This photo is for inspiration purposes only. )

The money I receive will go towards all my cost of materials from conception to realization, which include but are not limited to:

-Pattern paper
- Muslin
-Materials for textile experimentation
-Individual model fitting cost
-sewing materials
              -bias tape
              -thread (industrial amount for textile exploration)
              -horsehair etc.
-Cost of clothing accesories
               -zippers
               -buttons etc.
-Final fabrics & textile cost (Biggest expense)
-Photographer and model cost for line sheet/ editorial photos