Rum And Coke - After years of feeling misrepresented by the media and scouring for trendy clothes that fits, a plus size woman has taken things to hand by creating her own clothing line.
New York fashion designer and owner of Rum + Coke Courtney Smith said she created the company to make trendy clothes for plus size women.
"I started the company, because I saw a need for women who look like me," she said. "And I've seen how there's a lack of plus-size women of color in advertising, and we're such a big population that I would think someone would notice us."
"You go to the store, and it only comes in a size 10," she said. "And you might be a 12, you might be a 16,18, might be a 20. And it just crushes you."
Rum and Coke makes different sizes of clothes from 2 through to 24. However, in order to make a statement, Smith chose only plus-size-women of color to model for the line since it's launch last year.
"It's about time that we shine the light on bigger women," Smith said."I feature plus-size women of color in my campaigns, because I feel it's a necessity. We're largely under represented."
"But that's not to say I would never use a white woman," she adds.
Courtney Smith, who also models for Rum and Coke, said the company's stand on choosing plus-size-women as models for the brand it to "replace messages of self-loathing with messages of self-love and empowerment."
Smith added that the call was quite easy as she wanted women who looked as beautiful as her. "It was a natural decision for me," she said. "I wanted to pick women who looked fabulous-who looked like me!".
Rum and Coke has been recieved well and the news of it's innovative approach to designs has gone viral on the internet. Many bloggers have welcomed the brand which is part of a growing few that target plus-size women.
"We has a misconception in plus-size that women really wanted to cover themselves be invisible...now the plus-size person knows they don't have to abide--breaking out in stripes, prints and bright colors," blogger Nicolette Mason said.
