Interview: Madison Plus Founder Aimee Cheshire Talks Plus Size Fashions

Posted under Clothing Accessories Articles, Madison Plus, Plus Size Clothing, Plus Size Fashion, Plus Size Fashion Article, Plus Size Fashions Interview, Plus Size Women Articles, Women's Plus Size Clothing

Aimee Cheshire is the Founder and Owner of Madison Plus. Madison Plus’ mission is to cater to the previously under served market for women’s plus size fashion by offering all of her favorite brands in one place. Madison Plus seeks to reach out to this customer though exclusive editorials, trend coverage, hand-picked online shops, and daily blog, presented on a beautiful web platform. Visit Madison Plus’ fashion blog The Dish for the latest in plus size fashion.

How did you become a part of the plus size clothing industry?

MadisonPlus.com has been a lifelong project. Even though I didn’t always know it would eventually be expressed in the form of MP, I was born with the “a ha” moment. At a young age I came to realize that there was a problem with the restrictive nature of women’s fashion. Somewhere between only being able to shop for men’s jeans and having to buy an adult women’s size for my communion dress, it dawned on me that I should not have to go through so much to buy a simple outfit. I knew then that I had to do something to ensure that no one else would have to experience such exclusion.

I made it my personal mission to understand and participate in all aspects of the plus size fashion industry. I lived it from modeling and styling to product development. As far as I know I am one of the few people out there who has experienced and worked in all aspects of the plus industry and seen it from all perspectives.

Tell me about the creation of Madison Plus.

The moment I was struck to get my act together and create MP I was working in Product Development for plus sizes. I was presenting to my bosses a collection of harem pants and a knit motorcycle jacket, pieces that were fashion forward and flattering for the curvy silhouette. They were looking at me like I had two heads and that’s when I thought, “I will never impact anything staying here!” Their only focus was on finding the next million dollar v-neck tee, not uplifting plus women and providing more options for us. That’s when I knew it was time to launch something like MP and if I didn’t do it right away someone else would beat me to it. I also wanted to take advantage of the recession since the economic downturn was a perfect time to create a company. I wanted to develop the website so that when retailers and brands started looking for new sources of money I would be there ready. I saw an opportunity to help jump start the redevelopment of the plus industry.

What tips do you have for dressing the plus size figure?

I always start with telling women not to hide their shape, find fabrics which skim over your problem areas. Highlight your smallest point in your figure, which is usually your waist and that allows for the creation of a hourglass shape. Most importantly understand your figure, what are the area’s that your most proud of and highlight that. Wear a v-neck top which shows off some cleavage, if you love your legs then find that shorter skirt, but remain mindful of showing off too much, it does not matter what size you are, too much is too much!

Once you’ve mastered the day to day you can start breaking the rules, wear stripes, skinny belts, over sized silhouettes and pleats. All these can be done for a plus size figure but if you’re a fashion novice its important to not run before you can walk.

What accessories do you consider a must when it comes to fashion?

I always find a place for one bold accessory, I tend to mostly wear necklaces and earrings. Personally don’t like the feeling of having too much on so I like to keep it simple with one strong piece.

How has plus size clothing changed since it was first introduced to the market?

Yes it had greatly changed, it started many years ago with the launch of Lane Bryant and has now grown to a multi billion dollar industry, and I believe we are still only at the beginning. The choices for shopping have increased when I was young there was no such thing as junior plus and now that market is growing quickly with brands like Torrid or lines like Love Your Style by Kmart, Pure Energy by Target. There is also a growing contemporary plus fashion market which designer Anna Scholz has been a leader in, now there are up and coming plus designers like Damn You Alexis, Stefanie Bezaire and Hope & Harvest. To name a few.

How successful is the use of online shopping in relation to plus size fashions?

Shopping online for plus sizes has always been the norm since the launch of the Internet. Special sizes were only offered online because retailers could not justify the floor space for these unique sizes, which retailers believed did not represent the majority of their shoppers. This came with personal biases as to what plus women want and when plus was offered in stores it was in the basement or back corner of the department store. Therefore not making it the most appealing place for plus women (or any woman to shop). So online shopping and plus sizes are a perfect match, and the plus consumer has now been trained to shop online first. I know I’ve been personally shopping online since 1996, due to my weight and height combo I knew it was a waste of time for me to even try shopping in a mall. I knew I was not the only one with that feeling.

What do you see as the most interesting plus size fashion trends for the upcoming year?

While reviewing the fall trends for Madison Plus what I came away with is that they are very accessible for all shapes and sizes. Bright colour combo’s are by far my favorite trend of the season, and easily work for any figure and the bonus is you may already have the pieces in your closet.

Start with eye catching outerwear, sweaters, skirts and trousers and pair the unexpected together. I’ve been loving the color combos of bright orange and blue, poppy red and pink, fuchsia and Kelly green.

Are there any other plus size fashion tips or info you’d like to share with our online readers?

Shop for yourself today, enjoy fashion today. If you constantly think you’ll go shopping when you lose that 10 lbs you are doing yourself a disservice. Find that piece now which makes you feel better about yourself, walk a little taller and brings on a smile that just opens the door to whatever personal goals you have.

Images courtesy of Madison Plus.