Ashley Graham Calls Out Plus-Size Fashion Industry for Looking ‘Matronly’

Since her rise as a model, Ashley Graham hasn’t been silent about the need for a more diverse range of designs for curvy customers. Though more and more designers are featuring curve models on their runways, the 30-year-old hasn’t seen this translated to the stores that curvy customers are shopping at. Now, she’s taking matters into her own hands with a denim collection with Marina Rinaldi.

In an interview with Glamour, Graham explained that she was inspired to design her own line after years of struggling to find clothes that were flattering on her size 14/16 body. “I couldn’t find things that fit me the way that I wanted them to, and I couldn’t find designs that made me feel special, that made me feel like a fashion girl. I’m not trying to walk down the street, accessorized in glam to the T every day, but I want to feel special,” Graham said.

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Tired of the plus-size fashion industry’s “matronly” designs, which she found to historically cover up a woman’s curves instead of flaunting them, Graham wanted her collection to be the opposite of that. She cites specific pieces, such as a leather skirt with a high slit showing off her “thighbrow” and a sexy off-the-shoulder denim shirt, as examples of how curvy fashion doesn’t have to be one-note.

“What we learned was [that] everybody likes what we designed—even the tightest dresses and the smallest shirt sold out,” Graham said. “They’ve now realized that their customer wants these things. That was a really great ‘aha!’ moment for them, and it was also kind of gratifying on my end, because I got to be like, ‘See? This is what we want.’ I am a customer. I’m a full size 14/16 in some pants, and I know what I want.”

Even as a supermodel, Graham isn’t immune to designers wanting to cover up her body, which is why she makes her voice heard that she can slay in tighter and shorter clothes too. “When I’m in a fitting, I’m like, ‘Guys, why don’t we make this tighter here, why don’t we bring this up just a little bit higher, and instead of wearing the long coat, let’s wear the short coat and show off my body more’—and they listen to me, because they know that I’m the customer, they know that I’ve been doing this for 18 years,” Graham said.

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Graham explains that a woman’s wealth doesn’t depend on her size, which is why curvy women—like all women—are willing to spend money on high-quality, fashionable clothes, making them an untapped market. “There are so many women out there that want to buy these clothes who have the money—they want to have quality clothes that aren’t going to be ruined by the dry cleaner or the washing machine,” Graham said. “We wanted to give her [the customer] more fashion, because if she’s gonna spend the money, we want to make her feel like she’s special on the street or going to work.”

As for how brands can improve in their plus-size designs, Graham’s advice is simple. “Don’t give her basic; give her fashion pieces,” Graham said. “She wants to have fashion in her closet. We’ve had basic our whole lives.