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Fashion 263
“…Mama said, “you’re a pretty girl”
What’s in your head, it doesn’t matter
Brush your hair, fix your teeth
What you wear is all that matters
Blonder hair, flat chest
TV says, “bigger is better”
South Beach, sugar-free
Vogue says, “thinner is better…,”
These are the lyrics by United States singer Beyonce Knowles on the song ‘Pretty Hurts’.
The song aptly describes what women go through to be beautiful.
A survey by Fashion 263 revealed that somehow what society deems as beautiful nowadays is light-skinned women, curvacious, and of course don’t forget the long weaves and wigs.
What of natural beauty?
To make matters worse, every lady wants to be like Kim Kardashian, hence the scramble to wear her Skimms brand outfits.
This week on Fashion 263 we focus on plus-size women and the good thing is we caught up with the fashion stylist and owner of the popular shop catering for plus-size women, Sandy’s Clothing, Tatenda Sandra Ngwadzai.
Sandra, who stayed in the United States, drew her inspiration to open a shop catering to that figure women from that country.
“What has happened to reasonably-priced, elegant clothes that size 22 and 70 years of age could wear?” she said.
The fashionistas said it was no secret that women come in all shapes and sizes, but all too often, retailers cater for the size 10, 20-somethings, while ignoring those who are plus size, not to mention those who are plus size and over the age of 50.
“I lived, studied and worked in America before relocating to Zimbabwe,” said Sandra.
“During my time as a student, I worked part-time for various clothing shops and that is when I realised my passion for fashion.
“Sandy’s Clothing started as an online plus size shop in 2018, specialising in selling ladies’ denim products. We became a brick-and-mortar in 2021.
“As highlighted earlier the experience of working in various clothing shops while in America was the turning point.”
Sandra said witnessing plus-size ladies struggling to find denim that fit them well inspired her to occupy the space.
“Our products are sourced from USA and UK.
“Initially, the target market was the plus size, however, due to the outcry from regular size shoppers we are now stockists of denim products for all shapes and sizes,” she said.
Sharing her tips on plus-size women, Sandra said she focused much on smart casual and said most people did not know the difference between being casual and smart casual.
“Smart casual was easy to introduce into the market because of the quality and durability of our products. Locals did understand the concept easily because they were tired of low-quality denim products,” she said. “You can never go wrong with a pair of jeans.
“Know your body shape and look for clothes that fit your body shape. When shopping, learn to shop for exactly what you want rather than filling your wardrobe with things you don’t wear.”
Online Reporter