Interview With A Model: Ashley Graham for Addition Elle
As mentioned earlier, Addition Elle invited members of the press to meet model Ashley Graham, who is the new face of their lingerie collection. (We also met with Addition Elle’s Roslyn Griner and talked about Spring and summer trends, and Fashion Democracy — but more about that next week!) It was a fascinating confab because good lingerie and good support are literally the foundations of a good look.
Ashley is a very smart and confident woman and her philosophy is that support is sexy. As you can see in the billboard pictured above and her TV ads for the lingerie line, Addition Elle’s message is about inclusion, not segregating the plus size customer. “A bra that fits is about cup size and band width,” says Graham, “not Body Mass Index.” Projecting confidence is another key message. Addition Elle has staff trained to properly fit your bra so that you are not awkwardly tugging your bra straps or uncomfortably readjusting your girls in public. Graham’s favourite undergarment in the collection is the back smoother. “If you have little rolls it makes sure that situation is under control.”
Me and model Ashley Graham
Another reason to love Ashley and Addition Elle: They want to break down barriers across all demographics — you don;t have to be plus-sized to shop the collection, just stacked. Ashley spends a lot of time speaking to young girls about issue like body image. “I pretty much grew up in a nudist family, so we had acceptance and love of the way we looked,” says Ashley. “But I did go through a whole phase of hating my body. For two months I practised saying ‘I love you’ in the mirror and the things I hated about myself started to change because I suddenly had the power.” In a nutshell, while you can’t suddenly grow six inches you can fix the things you have the power to improve upon and learn to accept the things you can’t.
Which brings us back to the foundations. Good undergarments make clothes hang and fit better. They can make you look like you lost 10 pounds. Which makes you feel cool and ready to play with fashion. And at Addition Elle, lingerie that supports can be fun, bright, comfortable and sexy. Says Ashley, as she models part of the collection for us: “Look at me walking around in panties and a bra — even with cellulite, honey.”