Calling all curvy women. LUCY Clothing and Forever Yours Lingerie are searching for beautiful, confident plus size models for their new online stores launching this fall.
Specializing in plus size clothing in hard to find sizes, LUCY Clothing needs real models that wear real sizes, says Sonya Perkins, owner of both LUCY Clothing and Forever Yours Lingerie.
鈥淯nfortunately with a lot of the vendors we deal with we don鈥檛 get photos. You buy from a line sheet or you buy from a show so you see a product in person but they don鈥檛 actually have pictures of it. And if they do, especially for this store, LUCY, they don鈥檛 have pictures of plus size models,鈥� Perkins said.
鈥淗ow can you sell a plus item if it is on a size 2 girl? It just doesn鈥檛 translate. And the problem that we鈥檝e had for the most part with the traditional modeling agencies is that the traditional plus size model right now is between a size 8 and 12. The clothes we carry start generally at a size 14, plus. It just wouldn鈥檛 work.鈥�
Perkins first opened the doors of Forever Yours Lingerie 16 years ago in a 600 square foot building on the one-way stretch of Fraser Highway.
Frustrated with her personal quest for nice lingerie in larger sizes for her own wedding, Perkins became inspired to create a business to meet the needs of this niche market.
鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 find anything that was something that a bride would want to wear under her dress or on her wedding night. It was all the granny gowns and the big full foundations and nothing really sexy and pretty. And I thought there鈥檚 got to be something out there that鈥檚 in those sizes that鈥檚 just not mainstream. So I started doing some research and jumped into it a year later,鈥� Perkins explained.
Still located on the one-way portion of Fraser Highway, today Perkins shop boasts 6,000 square feet and now carries all hard to find styles and sizes ranging from small to 4X and bras from a B cup to a K cup.
In 2007 she expanded to a plus size clothing store, {LUCY} 鈥� Love. Uniquely. Curvy. You Clothing, located just up the street from Forever Yours Lingerie.
鈥淚t鈥檚 something I love to do. It鈥檚 just that feeling of putting a woman into something and to see her feeling happy and feeling great about herself,鈥� Perkins said.
鈥淎 lot of women come in with an attitude that they鈥檙e not going to find anything, and then they find something that is fabulous, not something that they are just settling for because it is the closest things that fits. It鈥檚 amazing the difference in a person鈥檚 attitude when they get something that they love and that makes them feel good. I love that.鈥�
Perkins is currently on the hunt for models for both of her stores. Although entrants for LUCY Clothing must be a size 14 and up, those entering the contest for Forever Yours Lingerie can range from small to large sizes to reflect the diversity of products carried there.
鈥淲e want to promote the every woman so that you look at a picture and you can see yourself wearing that,鈥� Perkins said.
鈥淵ou鈥檝e got a lot of products that don鈥檛 come with pictures or they come with pictures that are a very unattainable look. We just want to bring it down to earth and make it attainable for people who are looking for products where they can see themselves in it.鈥�
Models interested in entering the contest must be 18 years of age or over (there鈥檚 no cap on age), size 14 to 24 for LUCY Clothing or sizes ranging from petite to plus for Forever Yours Lingerie, must be able to travel to 黑马磁力 once per week, be between 5-foot-6 and 6-foot-0 and be able to cover up any tattoos or piercings.
Winners of the contest will receive a $500 LUCY Clothing or Forever Yours Lingerie wardrobe, a three month paid contract with possible renewal, participation in a national print and web campaign and a staff discount for the duration of the contract.
鈥淲e鈥檙e looking for confidence, personality, beautiful curves and a beautiful face. Really just the every woman,鈥� Perkins said.
鈥淲e鈥檙e looking for women that are proud of their curves, that want to show them off and love what they do.鈥�
Details can be found at www.foreveryourslingerie.ca or www.lucyclothing.ca. Entrants must include one head shot, two full body photos and one personality shot. Contest closes at midnight on May 15.
