Firstly, Ashley Graham is a woman on a mission: to make the fashion industry more inclusive and help women feel better about themselves in the process.
So, Having already released plus-size underwear and swimwear ranges, the model, entrepreneur and activist is turning her attention to the bridal market, having designed an inclusive wedding dress collection with leading bridal brand .
The range of 15 dresses – plus a tuxedo suit, which can also be worn as evening wear – have been cut and crafted to guarantee the perfect fit for UK sizes 4 to 38. So, the price points are inclusive too, to fit most bridal budgets, starting at £1,000 and going up to £3,5000.
“The importance of inclusion in the fashion industry is key,” Graham explains. “There really hasn’t been a ton of inclusivity when it comes to size in bridal.”
Until now. When deciding to work with pronovias on the collection, the 32-year-old was heavily influenced by her own negative experience of shopping for a wedding dress (she married videographer Justin Ervin back in 2010). Unable to find the perfect bridal gown in the right size, Graham ended up having to buy a smaller size and have a panel sewn into the back. Needless to say, it didn’t feel like the dream dress she’d always imagined.
“When I was looking for my wedding dress it took a really long time to find the right one. And even when I did find the right dress, it wasn’t the right size. Also it wasn’t going to be available for my wedding day,” she recalls. “I was a size 16 at the time and I had to buy a size 10. They had to put a whole panel in the back. I was spilling out of my top and my back. Then it wasn’t the dress that I wished that I had. There is some regret there, and that’s why I’ve put a lot of my want and desire, and what I wish I had on my wedding day into these designs.”
Naturally, she’s thought of everything – from cut and style through to the internal structure. With these dresses there’s no need to hunt for impossible-seeming illusion underwear that inevitably ends up feeling uncomfortable and unsupportive – something a lot of women will be able to relate to.
“My absolute favourite thing is that there’s shapewear in each of the dresses and a built-in bra, so you don’t have to think about those two extra pieces on your big day,” she says.
The Ashley Graham x pronovias collection will be available to buy in-store from April. Watch the video above for an exclusive interview with Ashley and to go behind the scenes with the dresses
source: harpersbazaar
