Marie Denee is the creator of the digital publication, The Curvy Fashionista, which serves as a respected voice in the plus-size fashion industry. With an MBA in marketing, Denee strives to inspire curvy women to be confident and chic.
With her career starting in retail, Denee saw a need to diversify the fashion options for plus-size women. Her main goal is to share news and events for curvy women in a world where fashion for this community is often overlooked.
Denee shared with rolling out a typical day in her life, the vision for her brand, typical stereotypes curvy women can learn to overcome and how four retail brands can diversify their plus-size fashion.
How does having self-esteem and self-worth impact a young curvy fashionista’s confidence?
Having self-esteem and self-worth impacts the choices of the younger curvy fashionista in a variety of ways. The type of media she consumes helps affirm or define how she can show up in the world. Having access to platforms that reflect who she sees in the mirror helps empower her to reach for, dream about, or ideate her goals. You cannot be what you do not see. Having self-worth defines what you will and will not settle for. In the younger curvy fashionista’s case, she will not settle for half-baked fashion options or the bare minimum in size inclusivity. She challenges brands to do and be better.
What is your title and what does an average workday look like for you?
I am the founder and creator of The Curvy Fashionista, a blog-turned-media platform. I typically start my day at 5 a.m. After I am through my first cup of coffee, I do a 30-minute walk and journal. Taking time for myself has become a staid process for me. At 8 a.m., I dive into my to-do list for the day and into my emails. From there I check on content, handle any meetings scheduled, and depending on the day, I will write, add products to our shop TCF section, or do some research. I appreciate the randomness and uniqueness of each day. I wrap up my day mostly around 2 p.m. and from there, I relax, socialize, meet up with friends, or lay out on the couch and catch up on my TV shows.
What is your management style for developing talented leadership?
I am actually in the process of finding and developing my ideal style. I have made quite a few mistakes in the past and now I find myself working on my mindset in business operations and how that impacts my leadership style. I will say that I definitely look for those who have proven experience, who are self-starters, who take pride in their work, and who do not need to be micromanaged. I have been listening to John Maxwell’s Leadership Podcast to understand the various elements and the application of servant-based and transformational leadership; which is what I’m drawn to.
What is your vision for your brand, The Curvy Fashionista?
I envision TCF to be a household name when it comes to all things plus-size fashion. I see TCF sitting next to Who What Wear and The Zoe Report, and the only difference is that we operate from a plus-size perspective. I see TCF being a venture-backed company, providing resources to the community, and investing in the various communities within the plus-size industry. I would like to create various types of programs that nurture and develop talent as well as provide the space and resources for creatives to execute projects for their portfolio.
What are the two major productions or events you would like more corporate support for?
We have The Cultivate Awards, created to support and champion the indie plus-size designers of color who are leading the charge in innovation and style. We are working on securing additional brands to provide support and to impact the foundation of these designer’s business ecosystem. Oftentimes, we do not know what we do not know. Especially if we are self-taught, pursuing a passion, or have evolved into a space. I would love to have The Cultivate Awards be able to provide more than cash to these indie designers. I would love to see business support in the form of programs, marketing, PR, and merchandising provided to these designers.
For the TCFx series, I would love to see national brands join in on our production as we take our expo on the road. This one-day event is all about shopping, socializing, and supporting the community. As plus-size people only have access to 8% of fashion. It is important to bring these brands offline and in person, to give the plus-size person an experience that is tangible, surrounded by people who look like them, and who have some of the same passions.
What is the positive impact of The Curvy Fashionista’s artistic vision and capacity?
I think it is important that we have media that reflects the community, that inspires the community, and that is by the community in a variety of ways. For me, I know that I can do more, especially on the artistic side, such as producing more editorials, lookbooks, and media that articulate what we are missing. This helps also provide space and resources to plus-size creatives, designers, stylists, models, creative directors, and photographers. As I focus on expanding the foundation of the brand, we will be able to do more visually and creatively, to show and challenge the stereotypes that still exist. We will be able to celebrate the community’s innovative and extremely talented creatives in ways that we have wanted but have never had the space for.
Name four brands The Curvy Fashionista supports and why.
First, Target has been doing a lot in the Black community and has worked with various influencers. I would love to see that go further and partner with us to bring awareness to the various plus-size designers who are making fashion-forward options that need support and resources to continue their brand. I may be a bit audacious in my thoughts, but what Target did with Who What Wear, I would love to see them do that with TCF with a twist. The community has long supported and gently called out the brand to be more inclusive and they have been. Now it is time to level that up in a fun way.
Secondly, Nordstrom; having the space for contemporary plus-size fashion options is an extremely wide-open space that I would love to see Nordstrom play with. I would love to see them expand their range of designers and brands in the plus-size contemporary space. They are also positioned to challenge their brand partners to create plus-size ranges. Inclusivity is a must.
Thirdly, Torrid is the largest plus-size brand in this space and I would love to see them support more of the community financially. Torrid has the resources to support events, engage the community, and to also celebrate the diversity of the community. There has been quite a lot of change recently for the brand and I am hopeful that this will be a great thing to see and watch.
Lastly, Theory., which is not a plus-size brand, but this is one of the brands that would own this space if they delved into it. Theory is known for its sleek, chic, and timeless suits and wardrobe-essentials. Right now, there is not a contemporary plus-size brand that owns the suit and career wear options. Sure, you have plus-size brands who also have suits but a brand who lives and breathes this is a wide-open lane that Theory could own.
Describe what two stereotypes and challenges you have overcome for The Curvy Fashionista movement.
My perspective is going to be a bit different as my background is in marketing. I am happy to see the old marketing stereotypes of plus-size women “wanting to hide”, have fallen to the wayside. For the longest, buyers would only provide us with options in black, navy, brown, and sometimes grey if they were feeling bold. Yes, there are those of us who love black, but there are also scores of us who love color and prints.
Another stereotype is that we won’t invest in ourselves. The contemporary indie designers who are thriving are the ones giving us fashion, edge, and playfulness at contemporary price points. As the industry grows and folks realize that the plus-size person is not a monolith, they will discover that we have range. Give us the same diverse range of perspectives and lifestyles as our straight-size fashion folks.
Where do you find inspiration for The Curvy Fashionista?
I love to be a fly on the wall on social media. I am always scrolling, looking, and reading. Honestly, I get my inspiration from the community I serve. The designers, influencers, stylists, creators, and the fashion curious. They all inspire me. Today it may be Gabi Fresh, tomorrow it may be Jibri Online. Rebdolls may take my breath away and then Kristine from TrendyCurvy showed me a hack that blew my mind. I allow myself to be open to the various ways that inspiration and creativity will show itself.
What is it like being the CEO of The Curvy Fashionista?
I am still learning what this means for me. I think where I am right now is taking all the lessons, mistakes, and milestones from the past 15 years. I haven’t yet defined this for myself. What I have learned is that the role of a CEO is definitely different from the role of a founder. As I am researching and reading about those differences, I am also taking inventory of myself to make sure that the next steps I take are more intentional than the ones from the last three years.
Share your current top 10 songs for your car playlist.
Any and everything Beyonce. Seriously, my current playlist is [Beyonce’s] Renaissance, on repeat.
What is your favorite color?
Blue, teal, sapphire, and ocean blues.
Who in the artistic world inspires you and why?
Corine Roitfeld, hands down inspires me. Her transition from Vogue to the CR-Empire is inspirational, but her eye and vision with the editorials and fashion are exciting to watch. There is a boldness, uniqueness, and edge that makes you take notice. I will also say that I am constantly inspired by a variety of people and brands.
With her career starting in retail, Denee saw a need to diversify the fashion options for plus-size women. Her main goal is to share news and events for curvy women in a world where fashion for this community is often overlooked.
Denee shared how four retail brands can diversify their plus-size fashion.
