AROUND TOWN: Ashby Vose

All Fashionistas/os, no matter their shape or size, deserve to feel and look beautiful in whatever they choose to wear. Previously, the term “plus size” may not have frequented the fashion dictionary. Now, however, it is definitely coming into its own. I sat down with Ashby Vose, New York University senior and intern for the plus fashion website HeyGorgeous.com, to speak about the emerging market that seeks to include everyone in today’s trends.

Name: Ashby Vose

Role: Intern; Hey Gorgeous!

CollegeFashionista: How did you become involved in plus size fashion?

Ashby Vose: When I first arrived in New York City, I went to Forever 21 in Times Square to shop their plus size section, and I loved the options I saw. They were so cute and trendy! Previously, I didn’t even realize that fashionable plus could be an option. Often, plus clothes look matronly and try to reshape a woman’s curves rather than embrace them. One of the bloggers I followed, GabiFresh, retweeted a posting for a PR internship with the blog Madison Plus. I applied and I got it! I helped to launch an e-commerce section of the Madison Plus website, but soon found that the word plus turned many customers off. That’s when we rebranded and created Hey Gorgeous!. 

CF: How has plus fashion changed in recent years?

AV: It’s become a whole new movement of people accepting themselves more. Digital media allows these people to speak out about what they want from the fashion world. Led by plus fashion bloggers, the plus community has found their voice. Brands like Target are finally listening, whereas Hey Gorgeous! was born from a blog. We’ve seen a lot of improvements in fast fashion as well.

CF: What do you hope Hey Gorgeous! will promote to the fashion world?

AV: Currently, many plus options for clothing are cheap, because it is common to think that these women do not care about their appearance and will buy poorly made garments. Through offering plus clothing at a higher price point, we at Hey Gorgeous! provide trendy options that are also of better quality. I hope that luxury plus can tap into this as well to make it a bigger market.

Learn More: Follow Ashby, her adventures and keep up with the rapidly improving plus-size fashion world in the #HeyGorgeous section of HeyGorgeous.com.