Bella Magazine October 2013 | Page 42

designer dream job plus size fashion Annoyed by the lack of choice in the plus size fashion, Anna Scholtz decided to design her own clothes. And so the brand bearing her own name was created. The German-born designer now lives in London and is among the most successful in a plus size fashion industry worldwide. Have you always wanted to be a fashion designer? What got you started and what does modeling have to do with it? I grew up in Germany as a 6ft tall size 16/18 teenager in the 80s and couldn’t find anything fashionable and sexy to wear. I started making my own clothes from the age of 13 and had my first customers by 16. I started to work as a plus size model when I was 18 and learned a lot about the industry. I saw a huge gap in the market for a trendy curve enhancing collection and decided to move to London to study fashion design at the prestigious St. Martin’s College of Art and Design. I always had the desire to make curvy women feel better about themselves and give them a positive shopping experience. Do you remember your first design sold? I started having my first customers when I was 16, I believe my first item sold was a pair of linen trousers with asymmetric leg seams (oh dear, it was 80’s!). What skills must one have to become a fashion designer? Is an education actually necessary in this field or is passion enough? Passion and determination are essential as competition is so fierce, but education and a good set of skills are vital. I believe you can only design a collection properly if you understand how a garment is constructed and different fabrics behave. What was your biggest challenge when starting out? Convincing buyers that bigger women also desired fashion forward and figure enhancing sexy clothes and weren’t just interested in hiding away in bags anymore. Do you think a career path of a plus size fashion designer is somehow different or more difficult than a ‘normal’ designer? There are more obstacles as the market structure is simply not as developed, as in not much media support, not many high end stores who carry plus, but there is also a lot less competition. But the job is the same, I firstly look at designing and developing a new collection based on trends, moods and colors and then create styles which are more flattering for a curvier figure. annascholtz.com 41