While not widespread until the last 10 years, plus size models have been part of the fashion industry since the 1940's. An industry-wide prejudice against plus size consumers has generally worked to keep them out of the majority, but the incredible expansion of the internet and catalog advertising in recent years has brought them into the mainstream. As an illustration, Lane Bryant, a plus size designer who has been around since the 1920's, is now as universal in malls and shopping centers as GAP and Old Navy. They are generally regarded as one of the most prominent clients in the plus size model business.
The plus size designer industry has a handful of key players that have brought it from immaturity to prime-time in the past 15 years. Gary Dakin founded Ford 12+ modeling agency 25 years ago, and it remains a main influence in the plus size industry to this day. Wilhelmina 10/20 was founded by Susan Georget in 1994, and is widely recognized as growing the plus size model industry past just clothing retailers and manufacturers.
Due in part to the unbelievable accomplishments of these two agents, MODE magazine was launched in 1997 and saw instant success in the industry. As the first high-fashion magazine for the plus size designer industry, it brought a new sense of purpose and esteem to the models that it featured and a new consciousness of how refined the plus size fashion industry had become.
The business has not been without its difficulties, however. Around 2001 Versace, Valentino, Anne Klein Plus, and several other top designers stopped their plus size lines; a move that turned the industry on its head, and many recognize this as the beginning of the end for MODE magazine. At present, the only plus size magazine in the United States is Figure magazine, published by Charming Shoppes (the parent company of Lane Bryant).
Today, with no recognized plus size designer publication, the plus size industry is at somewhat of a impasse. The industry has gotten some publicity from publications like Vogue and Glamour, but this has been mostly "healthy image" and "self esteem" writing that has not translated into any positive direction for the industry in general. And with the availability of plus size models much greater than the demand, it is somewhat complicated for even the leaders to follow and manage successful careers. Some movement in the plus size designer world has been seen as recently as 2007 when a plus size design calendar, the Luscious and Fenomenal Calendar, received a respectable amount of attention and follow on success, but more is needed for real movement.
So where did the modern day size design industry we know today come from? Everybody knows about the meteoric rise of MODE magazine and their heart breaking tragic fall from grace, and I would wager that everyone has heard of the plus size agencies of Ford 12+, Curves, and Wilhelmina 10/20, but that doesn't really answer the basic question. In my mind, for there to be a plus size modeling industry there first had to be something for them to show off on the runway; it's a classic chicken and egg situation. Without something to show off to consumers, like plus size clothes, plus size shoes, plus size jewelry, or plus size maternity wear, there's really no need for plus size models. That's where plus size designers come in, and that's where we go back to the beginning, to a name that we're all familiar with: Lane Bryant.
It is widely accepted that Lane Bryant was the first large-scale manufacturer of womens' plus size clothing, the first to lobby for plus size designers, and the first to use plus size models in their advertising. But where did they originate from? Obviously, they haven't 'always been around' like some people would lead you to believe. Rather, it all began back in the early 1900's with a woman by the name of Lena Himmelstein Bryant Malsin.
Contrary to what some people believe, Lena didn't actually start out in the plus size market segment. Rather, she started her business sewing maternity clothes in a tiny shop on 5th Avenue in New York. From a small cash infusion of $300 (the equivalent to $7300 in today's money), Lena started sewing clothes and marketing them to women from all different parts of society. Due to an error on her paperwork opening her bank account, she was listed as Lane instead of Lena, and it was easier to go with it than try and change it back. Lane Bryant was born.
In 1909 Lena was wed to Albert Malsin, and he became very involved in the business. He brought with him the eye of an engineer and that of an accountant, and really helped to streamline their clothing production. This kept prices under control and allowed them to produce clothes from patterns at a high rate of speed. They were the original plus size design team. Unfortunately, pregnancy was somewhat of a hush-hush subject 95 years ago, and they ran into many difficulties advertising their designer clothes to the masses. Eventually, they were able to get an advertisement run in a local newspaper, and they were soon up to the ears in customers. Lena soon made the realization that a large portion, if not the majority, of her customers were what she referred to as "stout-figured" women. She began to tailor her lines for that customer base, and it quickly became the flagship source of revenue for the company.
A little known fact is that Lena was one of the early pioneers of the mail order catalog as well. Due to the pressures from social groups that she faced, advertising was a very difficult task. She resolved to get her designer clothes in front of her customers somehow, and had a catalog printed that she would mail out. Soon, the plus size designer content in the catalog had overtaken the maternity content, and the course of the company was set.
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