NYFW Designers Ignored Plus Sized Models But SFWRUNWAY Included Curves!

Most New York Fashion Week designers and productions ignored the “curvy” woman and opted for the smaller, midsized models, size 10 and below, instead.  The general consensus is, designers are repeating the nineties aesthetic featuring thinner-than-average models.  The producer of SFWRunway, Naomi Alabi, decided to embrace plus size rather than stealthily veering away from it.  Ms. Alabi featured her first SFWRunway Plus segment, on February 11th at the Wyckoff Windows Studio in Brooklyn, with clothing from the retailer AKIRA, designers JustRaymona and Syeko Design House.

Styled by Jovanna Reyes, the former producer of Plus Night Out, the plus segment featured models of diverse heights and body types.  “We chose to feature AKIRA because of their fashion-forward designs and their expanding size range from X-3X.  The garments were also of great quality, with several models purchasing the garments they showcased.  JustRaymona is a seasoned designer of plus fashion.  Her admiration of a woman with curves is obvious when you see her pieces hit the runway.”

The feedback Ms. Alabi received from the audience, including several plus-size influencers was so positive, she decided to expand the segment to include more plus designers.  “It’s important to read the room and SFWRunway represents street style.  The average woman on the street wears a size 12 and up.  How could I not reflect that on our runway?”

The AKIRA segment also featured pieces from the Black Village Collection.  The Black Village Foundation assists Black entrepreneurs in Chicago’s South and West side areas.  The founder of the Black Village Foundation, Ta’rhonda Jones is also an actress and fashion designer, so co-designing the collection with Dr. Sabha Abour came with ease. The garments were made with high-quality fabrics, with words that are meant to uplift the community.  The entire collection may be purchased on shopakira.com with all of the proceeds going to http://www.blackvillagefoundation.org to benefit their grant programs.  All of the donations go directly into the community.

The AKIRA Label Black Village Foundation Logo Lace Up Detail Cropped Hoodie has phrases like “that’s my tribe”, “check on your black friends”, “buy black” and many more.  The garments reflect Ms. Jones community activism, even as an actress on top shows like “Empire”.

The AKIRA Label Black Village Foundation Logo Zipper Detail Sweatsuit set features ribbon detailing, zipper accents, and more graphic text messaging like “protect your inner G.”

EN.V New York by JustRaymona standout garments featured a black and white bodysuit and shiny pleather jumpsuit framed by a brilliant green, floor-length silk coat. “The color green means power to me and I love to feature it in all of my collections.”

SFWRunway is a platform created to offer emerging designers a voice during New York and LA Fashion Week.  The platform is self-funded and run by Naomi Alabi(founder) who is looking to collaborate with platforms whose mission aligns with hers.  Visit http://www.sfwrunway.com for more information on the next fashion week.

AKIRA first opened in 2002 as one Women’s boutique in the trendy Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago and is owned by Eric Hsueh, Erikka Wang, Sarah Hughes and Gordon Liao.  AKIRA offers a full line of women’s clothing, footwear, and accessories, carrying brands such as Adidas, Champion, I.AM.Gia and even its own private labels.  Over the years, AKIRA has expanded to 32 stores(with more stores on the way), and a website serving customers around the world.  Visit http://www.shopakira.com to learn more.

EN. V New York’s mission is to provide full-figured women with fashionable clothing that has so long eluded them.  JustRaymona, celebrity designer and the creative genius behind EN.V New York is always inspired to create for the Full Figured Model.  EN.V New York clothing is stylish, figure-flattering and affordable.  Visit http://www.envnewyork.com for more information and to see the newest collection.