As New York Fashion Week approaches, posts from fashion bloggers and would-be models abound on Instagram. But you won’t find anything typical on Nadia Aboulhosn’s feed.
While many fashionistas dress like followers, Aboulhosn is daring and full of vision. It only takes a quick scroll through her Instagram to understand why brands like Boo Hoo and, most recently, Addition Elle have brought her on board to design body-positive capsule collections. Her look is fun and fearless, with bold lines, smoldering confidence, and a refreshing dose of humor.
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In the meantime, Aboulhosn has relished the opportunity to design fresh, modern options for plus-sized women. On Aug. 31, Aboulhosn shared outtakes from her Addition Elle capsule collection trailer on Instagram. Aboulhosn seductively flashes her legs at the camera and declares herself sexy, but she also drops f-bombs with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.
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Aboulhosn still bristles at the “plus-size” label. “People used to talk so much shit about me because I would say, ‘I don’t label myself plus-sized—you are the ones who label me plus-sized.’” But Aboulhosn has fans of all sizes and, while she sees the value in women of larger shapes feeling better represented, she’s ultimately interested in a future where we think beyond potentially divisive labels.
“We’ve come a long way,” Aboulhosn said. “But for me, I really hate the separation.”
“I’m happy I represent for [plus-size women] but I also have anorexic and bulimic women telling me, ‘You saved my life!’ So why would I want to just inspire plus-sized women?”
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While Aboulhosn has only designed “plus-size” collections so far, she’s received positive feedback from women of all sizes. Model Jasmine Sanders was such a big fan of Aboulhosn’s Boo Hoo collection that she said she wished it were available in her size. The feedback inspired Aboulhosn. Following her work with Addition Elle, she says she only wants to design clothing for all bodies in all sizes.
“I’ve worked so hard to not have to fit in a box,” said Aboulhosn. “After this, no more plus-size; I want to design stuff that’s sizes 0-24.”
Screengrab via additionellevideo/YouTube
