Last Friday was the official launch of the second annual London Plus Size Fashion Weekend. The event is an alternative fashion week for women from sizes 12 and up which coincides with London Fashion Week every year.
The sole aim of Plus size fashion weekend which is organised by Remi Ray and Rianne Ward is to encourage women of all sizes to feel great about fashion and I think the message is finally getting through. Several High street retailers are finally accepting that they need to support the plus size market including Debenhams who announced they are introducing size 16 manikins into their stores!
Having attended the inaugural London Plus Size Fashion Weekend last year, this years’ seems bigger and better. There are more designers and brands including Evans, Tika Soomak, Dea London, Scarlett & Jo, Jane Watson, OPhee, Asos Curve, to name a few; and the event has moved to a bigger venue.
This year’s event also included talks and Q &A’s, and there was a buzz or excitement about the event which is missing from London fashion week.
Held at London’s Vinopolis; the London Plus Size Fashion Weekend had four exclusive fashion shows, a Marketplace where visitors can experience shaping via their body shape with experts and get advise on clothing styles.
There was also a lot of focus on how the event is looking to change the views of designers when it comes to plus size fashion and finally, visitors were able to try and buy pieces from the collections yet to hit the shops.
The press launch on Valentine’s Day drew a large crowd of media and plus size fashion brands who were treated to catwalk shows, interviews and entertainment. Here are the highlights: