The hope for plus-size fashion

After a nearly a year of hard work, stress, tears and “why am I doing this” moments I am now only 4 days away from putting on my first plus-size runway. What started as a frustrated “eff this” moment where I left another event crying in the car I am on the verge of showing that putting on a fashion show exclusively with plus-size models can be done.

Revel will have 10 brands sticking up to a minimum of a size 22 and 17 models from size 12-14 to size 24. I am grateful for the support that has come my way, and the passion of others to bring this to life! But I am also disheartened by the fact that, in the lead up to larger fashion weeks I know we will hear from mainstream fashion industry and media that plus-size fashion “is too hard, it doesn’t sell, it’s too hard to get plus-size models, it’s not what people want to see….”

Revel is a sell out show and has been for over a month with requests for more tickets. People are coming from all over Australia for a runway dedicated to celebrating plus-size fashion. We need and want a platform to be seen.

Curve the Runway in Brisbane, F.A.T the Runway in Melbourne and now Revel are stepping into a space that mainstream fashion doesn’t seem to want to touch, and we’re succeeding! It’s hard work but we’re doing it and people are showing they want to be a part of it.

Every photoshoot I have done for Revel, every outfit, every model casting has been done to show that plus-size fashion is serious fashion. We are not a side show and we belong at the main events.

My hope is that the more of these events that happen, the more we show what we can do, what’s out there the more we can inspire the next generation of young people to think of fashion differently. I hope we can change the outdated narrative that a size 6-14 is a standard range and that putting a size 10-12 down a runway should be celebrated as “showing diverse sizes”.

I want young people to see their bodies in fashion and feel like they deserve to be seen, to exist as they are and to feel stunning in the things they wear.

My hope with Revel is that I can make it an ongoing event that keeps highlighting the importance of fashion for every body. And that it encourages others to do the same.

I can’t wait to share more after the event.

Amy x