Plussize Fashion Week Africa 2019: Exploring nature and fashion

Gone are the days when models are needed to slim, tall and with the perfect hour glass figure. There are women that are big, bold, healthy and beautiful and still have strong modelling potentials.

Beyond celebrating these women, is also exploring nature and fashion at a cosy and greenly atmosphere, yet learning at the feet of great minds in the fashion industry through the master classes integrated into the Plussize Fashion Week Africa this year.

It is time to get ahead of the curve with our African women and celebrate their sizes. African women of various shapes and sizes can now flaunt their figure in confidence and work elegantly on the runway. This can only be possible with the Plus-size Fashion Week Africa.

Temi Aboderin-alao, the Founder Plussize Fashion Week Africa disclosed that she stated the show in 2011 because she saw the gap and as time went on, the industry started to grow and there were more designers who needed that visibility.

“Traditional fashion week we have don’t want plus size designers. When we eventually got on the show, we were faced with a lot of antagonism and abuses back stage. Eventually, I thought we needed to have our own platform where we are easily celebrated and where my models are also celebrated. So that was the motivation to get Plussize Fashion Week Africa going and to also build confidence, which has always been my ethos.

“Last year, we had 27 designers. We had three different shows last year. So, they had variety of dresses. It varies on what the designers want,” Aboderin-alao said.

She assured that this particular edition, which will hold on 8th of December at 5pm at the Traffic Lounge at Ikoyi, will be taking fresh angles, which are nature and fashion.

“We are taking it outdoor and we are bringing a fresh perspective and it is going to be amazing. The models are well trained and ready for this. It is like fashion with entertainment. We are also having master class as well. We will be infusing the master class into the show. This is something very different,” she said.

Aboderin-alao reiterated that the show does not promote obesity but wants women be the healthiest version of themselves.

“We had some examples of healthy plus size ladies. At the end of the day, it is a personal choice. We can give you all the advice in this world and it is left to you to follow and I find that it is best to lead by example. This is what I had to do with myself. I have had to transform myself not because of anybody else’s visuals but because of health.

“I believe that for every woman, plus size or not, there is the healthiest biggest size you can be and beyond a point, you will start to damage your body. We want to make sure that you don’t cross over to the part where you start to damage your body. Not everyone can be a size six or eight but if you are healthy, it will be great. If you are not ready to work on yourself, I can’t have you on my runway. You have to work on yourself enough to do something about how you look and present yourself the best possible way you can be presented,” she explained.