Those of you who have been around for the last 15 years will know my dedication to plus size fashion has been dogged. I started this blog because I wanted every one of you to feel seen, reflected and valid. When I pressed publish on that first post, my mission was clear; to give women… The post Introducing Nohah Studio – My plus size fashion collection appeared first on Becky Barnes.
Those of you who have been around for the last 15 years will know my dedication to plus size fashion has been dogged. I started this blog because I wanted every one of you to feel seen, reflected and valid. When I pressed publish on that first post, my mission was clear; to give women who looked like me a feeling of inclusion, to be part of something they’d been isolated from for so long.
The plus size landscape
Growing up I never saw women who looked like me in the media, aside from icons like Dawn French and Victoria Wood, the plus size representation landscape was pretty bleak. And as for the fashion scene? Non-existent. When I left school I was a size 16 and for every year I gained a dress size, by the time I was in my mid-twenties, I was a size 32. The hopes of getting anything to fit, let alone anything stylish was grim. Evans or nothing, that was my singular choice.
When I reached my early 30s, I was down to a size 22 and things had changed dramatically. Brands like Simply Be were well established and the internet had opened the doors to a whole new world of plus size style options.
Blogging in its infancy gave birth to a generation of women with more choice and more to say. While brands still lagged behind with their visuals, plus size bloggers filled the void when it came to representation. We were showing you how the clothes would actually look on a body like yours. Not a size 14 model who was, in the eyes of agencies and brands ‘plus size’.
For a good 10 years there, we were everywhere. Modelling, designing, landing campaigns and even appearing on TV.
Who remembers this infamous ASOS jumpsuit?
This was always the plan
I never landed the fabled design/collab gig myself. That’s okay, in a sea of fabulous plus size fishes, I was small fry. But I’d always had it in my mind that one day I would design and produce a collection of my own. I had sketch books tucked away, business plans drafted. But life was hard, money was scarce and as a single mum, I’d struggled to find ways to pay my bills, let alone start a business of such enormity.
An experience like no other
In 2019 I was put forward for a small freelance gig by a friend. Just some social media management for a new plus size brand. I had a video call with the owner who was based in Morocco and within two weeks I was on a plane headed to Marrakech. I found myself in the most unreal surroundings, modelling and strategising for a new emerging brand.
Fast forward to 2020 and the brand, having grown at a rapid rate, was outgrowing its base, and we needed to upscale, so, I took on the task of relocating it to Lincolnshire, opening a warehouse and running the full UK operation with my partner Scott. We continued to grow the brand with twice yearly visits to Morocco for shoots and fabric buying trips to Amsterdam. It was an experience like no other. I learned so much about running a business. Sadly, when the owner decided to bring the venture to a close, I had the realisation that this was finally my time. With the skills and knowledge I’d gained, the stability I now had in my personal life; Nohah Studio was borne.
Introducing Nohah Studio
It’s taken two and a half years of development, sourcing, design, but we’re finally here. Production is nearly complete, the website is launched for pre-orders and I can honestly say it’s been the most stressful but exhilarating experience of my life.
And I’m sure I’ll share more on the process in another post. but in the meantime, visit Nohah Studio, let me know what you think and here’s to a new dawn of plus size fashion.
The post Introducing Nohah Studio – My plus size fashion collection appeared first on Becky Barnes.
