<p>Defying the fashion world's narrow stereotype of beauty, Brazilian plus-size designer Amanda Momente poses confidently for the camera, wearing the clothing label she founded after failing to find other options that fit.</p>

<p>More than half of all adults in Brazil are overweight, but Momente is part of a growing movement of entrepreneurs, activists and models who are fed up with a fashion industry they say fails to fit their needs and shames them for their bodies.</p>

<p>"Society judged me based on one thing, so I took that thing and used it... to launch my business," says Momente, 34, dressed in a sheer black bodysuit created by Wondersize, the company she founded in 2017.<br />
<br />
The former real-estate agent, who sports a pink mohawk and multiple tattoos, got the idea after feeling uncomfortable at the gym in clothes she says were too tight, turned transparent when stretched or bunched up around her thighs.</p>

<p>She decided to find a seamstress to help her make her own workout outfit.</p>

<p>It turned out so well she quit her day job and plunged headfirst into the fashion world, she says.</p>

<p>The rise of colorful, stylish clothes for Brazilians with large bodies is part of a broader international trend rejecting unrealistic standards of beauty, especially for women.</p>

<p>The fashion industry needs to fit our bodies, not the other way around," says Momente.</p>

<p><strong>- 'Identity and dignity' -</strong><br />
<br />
Major brands tend to dedicate at most a small portion of their lines to clothing in larger sizes, leaving "repressed" demand, says Marcela Liz, head of the Brazil Plus Size Association.</p>

<p>The plus-size sector grew in Brazil more than 75 percent in the decade through 2021, reaching sales of 9.6 billion reais (about $1.9 billion) that year, according to the association.</p>

<p>It projects sales will hit 15 billion reais by 2027 in Latin America's biggest economy.</p>

<p>"Supply has improved, but we're still not meeting demand," says Liz.</p>

<p>The nascent industry sashayed through Sao Paulo this month at the Pop Plus fair, where indie designers showed off sparkling skirts, racy tops, T-shirts stamped with bold statements and other clothes in sizes ranging up to 70.</p>

<p>"The market saw fat people as people who didn't like fashion, who just wanted to hide their bodies," says Flavia Durante, the activist who founded the fair in 2012.</p>

<p>"We had clothes, not fashion," she told AFP.</p>

<p>"Fashion isn't just about consumption. It's about identity and dignity."<br />
<br />
<strong>- More work to do -</strong><br />
<br />
TV presenter and plus-size model Letticia Munniz has strutted the runway at glitzy Sao Paulo fashion week, made the cover of glossy magazines and been the face of numerous ad campaigns.</p>

<p>But she says real inclusion remains a long way off for the overweight and obese in Brazil -- 57 percent and 23 percent of the adult population, respectively, in the country of 203 million people.</p>

<p>"Things have improved, but our work is still seen as just checking a quota box. We're not seen as real equals," she says.</p>

<p>The activist and influencer, who usually wears custom-made clothes, says she is glad to see more plus sizes on runways -- but adds that doesn't necessarily mean they are actually available in stores.</p>

<p>She encourages her more than one million followers on social media to love themselves as they are.</p>

<p>"When you find something made to exalt your body instead of hide it, it changes everything," she says in one post.</p>


Defying the fashion world's narrow stereotype of beauty, Brazilian plus-size designer Amanda Momente poses confidently for the camera, wearing the clothing label she founded after failing to find other options that fit.

Defying the fashion world's narrow stereotype of beauty, Brazilian plus-size designer Amanda Momente poses confidently for the camera, wearing the clothing label she founded after failing to find other options that fit. More than half of all adults in Brazil are overweight, but Momente is part of a growing movement of entrepreneurs, activists and models who are fed up with a fashion industry they say fails to fit their needs and shames them for their bodies. "Society judged me based on one thing, so I took that thing and used it... to launch my business," says Momente, 34, dressed in a sheer black bodysuit created by Wondersize, the company she founded in 2017. The former real-estate agent, who sports a pink mohawk and multiple tattoos, got the idea after feeling uncomfortable at the gym in clothes she says were too tight, turned transparent when stretched or bunched up around her thighs. She decided to find a seamstress to help her make her own workout outfit. It turned out so well she quit her day job and plunged headfirst into the fashion world, she says. The rise of colorful, stylish clothes for Brazilians with large bodies is part of a broader international trend rejecting unrealistic standards of beauty, especially for women. The fashion industry needs to fit our bodies, not the other way around," says Momente. - 'Identity and dignity' - Major brands tend to dedicate at most a small portion of their lines to clothing in larger sizes, leaving "repressed" demand, says Marcela Liz, head of the Brazil Plus Size Association. The plus-size sector grew in Brazil more than 75 percent in the decade through 2021, reaching sales of 9.6 billion reais (about $1.9 billion) that year, according to the association. It projects sales will hit 15 billion reais by 2027 in Latin America's biggest economy. "Supply has improved, but we're still not meeting demand," says Liz. The nascent industry sashayed through Sao Paulo this month at the Pop Plus fair, where indie designers showed off sparkling skirts, racy tops, T-shirts stamped with bold statements and other clothes in sizes ranging up to 70. "The market saw fat people as people who didn't like fashion, who just wanted to hide their bodies," says Flavia Durante, the activist who founded the fair in 2012. "We had clothes, not fashion," she told AFP. "Fashion isn't just about consumption. It's about identity and dignity." - More work to do - TV presenter and plus-size model Letticia Munniz has strutted the runway at glitzy Sao Paulo fashion week, made the cover of glossy magazines and been the face of numerous ad campaigns. But she says real inclusion remains a long way off for the overweight and obese in Brazil -- 57 percent and 23 percent of the adult population, respectively, in the country of 203 million people. "Things have improved, but our work is still seen as just checking a quota box. We're not seen as real equals," she says. The activist and influencer, who usually wears custom-made clothes, says she is glad to see more plus sizes on runways -- but adds that doesn't necessarily mean they are actually available in stores. She encourages her more than one million followers on social media to love themselves as they are. "When you find something made to exalt your body instead of hide it, it changes everything," she says in one post.

Plus-size movement reshapes fashion in Brazil

<p>Plus-size model Paloma Elsesser is the latest to make it to the four January 2021 covers of Vogue magazine. The previous ones are actress Frances McDormand, then tennis player Naomi Osaka and now Paloma Elsesser.</p>

<p>Paloma is seen wearing a translucent Michael Kors Collection dress as she stands in a water body. The shoot was styled by Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, who started out as an intern in the Vogue fashion closet.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Sharing the cover, she wrote, “This is the first Vogue cover styled by a black woman. This is my first Vogue cover. It was shot by Annie Leibovitz and that’s just about the wildest thing I’ve ever heard.”</p>

<p>Gabriella Karefa-Johnson continued, “Vogue is where I grew up. This is a dream I didn’t know if I’d realize and I’m just so proud of myself, and proud of [Paloma], and proud of [Latisha Chong], and proud of [Janelle Okwodu], and happy for the little black girls who can go to the newsstand and buy the worlds most powerful fashion magazine and see themselves on the cover and in the creative team that brought it to life.”</p>

<p>This is Paloma Elsesser’s first solo cover for American Vogue. In an emotional video on her own Instagram, she opened up the magazine while video-chatting with her family. In another post, she wrote that the shoot was a “surreal” experience — to work and collaborate with women she “so deeply” admires, and to shoot an American Vogue cover as a “chubby, short, mixed-race women who never imagined this would be her reality.”</p>

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<p>“Although my heart swells with gratitude, I am not satisfied,” Elsesser’s Instagram post continued. “I urge fashion to never let this momentum [cease] until seeing bodies and experiences like mine and beyond are no longer radical, no longer different; no longer rare. I want to see bigger bodied femmes, dark skin femmes, disabled people, and all the iterations of identity that have left so many alone in media. I want this moment to render a new year of possibility and a lifetime of hope.”</p>


Plus-size model Paloma Elsesser is the latest to make it to the four January 2021 covers of Vogue magazine. The previous ones are actress Frances McDormand, then tennis player Naomi Osaka and now Paloma Elsesser.

Plus-size model Paloma Elsesser is the latest to make it to the four January 2021 covers of Vogue magazine. The previous ones are actress Frances McDormand, then tennis player Naomi Osaka and now Paloma Elsesser. Paloma is seen wearing a translucent Michael Kors Collection dress as she stands in a water body. The shoot was styled by Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, who started out as an intern in the Vogue fashion closet. Sharing the cover, she wrote, “This is the first Vogue cover styled by a black woman. This is my first Vogue cover. It was shot by Annie Leibovitz and that’s just about the wildest thing I’ve ever heard.” Gabriella Karefa-Johnson continued, “Vogue is where I grew up. This is a dream I didn’t know if I’d realize and I’m just so proud of myself, and proud of [Paloma], and proud of [Latisha Chong], and proud of [Janelle Okwodu], and happy for the little black girls who can go to the newsstand and buy the worlds most powerful fashion magazine and see themselves on the cover and in the creative team that brought it to life.” This is Paloma Elsesser’s first solo cover for American Vogue. In an emotional video on her own Instagram, she opened up the magazine while video-chatting with her family. In another post, she wrote that the shoot was a “surreal” experience — to work and collaborate with women she “so deeply” admires, and to shoot an American Vogue cover as a “chubby, short, mixed-race women who never imagined this would be her reality.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by paloma elsesser (@palomija) × “Although my heart swells with gratitude, I am not satisfied,” Elsesser’s Instagram post continued. “I urge fashion to never let this momentum [cease] until seeing bodies and experiences like mine and beyond are no longer radical, no longer different; no longer rare. I want to see bigger bodied femmes, dark skin femmes, disabled people, and all the iterations of identity that have left so many alone in media. I want this moment to render a new year of possibility and a lifetime of hope.”

Paloma Elsesser wants ‘fashion to never let this momentum seize until seeing bodies like mine and beyond are no longer radical’

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Plus-size movement reshapes fashion in Brazil

Paloma Elsesser wants ‘fashion to never let this momentum seize until seeing bodies like mine and beyond are no longer radical’