Final Part in a 3 Part Series by Emma Medeiros
It feels like a positive sign that there was such an abundance of plus-size fashion during New York Fashion Week that we simply couldn’t cram it all into one article! Be sure to enjoy part The CURVY Side of New York Fashion Week, Part 1 and Part 2 (include the links here) if you missed it!
Striving for inclusivity and equality, many events this season broadened their horizons to include ALL sizes, not just straight or plus sizes.
Saturday, February 8th, was a very busy day for me! First stop: Hi Tech Moda, produced by the all-female executive team of Pamela Privette, Catherine Schuller, and Brenda Jameson, kicked off its third season with a bang, featuring designers that infused fashion, technology, and art, such as Wearable Sculpture (https://christophergulickart.com/), Misfit Missy (https://misfitmissy.com/), and Vanya Designs (https://vanyadesigns.com/), brought to life by top models like Nikki Rich (https://www.instagram.com/msnikkirich/).
Next up on the docket was the iconic Small Boutique Fashion Week (https://www.smallboutiquefw.com/), the largest fashion event geared toward catapulting independent brands to stardom. Their 17th season was celebrated with breathtaking, wearable art by divergent companies like Therese Marie Collection (https://www.instagram.com/official_tmccollection/) and Shandra Marie (https://www.instagram.com/_shandramarie_/). I even got in touch with my inner biker babe through the motorcycle-inspired, stylish leather wear of Planet Zero Motor Sports (https://www.instagram.com/planetzeromotorsports/)!
Thankfully, I had a few days to catch my breath before CHROMAT’s (https://chromat.co/) event, which was a surprise, to say the least! Created by Becca McCharen-Tran, this “future-forward bodywear” showcases her background in architecture and focuses on the body’s performance, not just style, with cutting-edge technical fabrics. In short, I came for a fashion show and got a fashion empowerment event. The most inspiring moment was meeting Femita Ayanbeku, a 2021 USA Paralympian who lost her leg in a car accident at age 11 and is now a T64 100m National Champion and the CEO of Limb-It-LessCreations Inc!
Last, but certainly not least, came the 8th season of the famous Harlem Fashion Week Experience, produced by mother/daughter duo Tandra Birkett and Yvonne Jewnell, held at the historic Museum of the City of New York (https://www.mcny.org/) on Saturday, February 15th. Guests dressed to the nines couldn’t help dancing in their seats when designers like Bombazo Wear Afro Caribbean dance skirts (https://www.instagram.com/bomba_caribbean_skirts/), Yvonne Jewnell New York (https://www.instagram.com/yvonnejewnellny/), and Renee France Designs (https://www.instagram.com/reneefrancedesigns/) tangoed down the runway!
Whew! Needless to say, February was a crazy, yet utterly fabulous month of fashion and this September’s New York Fashion Week will likely be even crazier- so stay tuned!
About the Author:
Emma Medeiros is the president and founder of Medeiros Fashion PR (https://www.medeirosfashionpr.com/), the FIRST public relations firm in the US to specialize in the plus size fashion industry. Based in NYC, Emma received her degree in Integrated Marketing Communications from Boston’s Emerson College and started Medeiros Fashion Public Relations in 2015 after realizing that, out of the thousands of fashion public relations firms in the US, not ONE of them specialized in this exploding industry. With a mixture of class and sass, the goal of Medeiros Fashion Public Relations is to place plus size fashion on an equal footing with straight size fashion. Emma declares, “There’s absolutely NO reason for them to be separate and, once I accomplish that, I can die a happy woman!”
Plus size designers, retailers, models, etc, can book their FREE consultation with Medeiros Fashion PR at emma@medeirosfashionpr.com.
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