Entitled to glamour
When Christine Edhouse decided to take a fashionable stand for women sized 14-plus, she was promptly rebuffed by local businesses. But, as Assia Benmedjdoub discovers, her gripe with plus-size fashion has now blossomed into a $100,000 a year business.
Christine Edhouse was never the kind of woman to hide behind her clothing size. So when the young Brisbane based designer decided to launch her own edgy plus-size label in 2004, she couldn't believe the reaction from local retailers in Moorooka.
"Our sample garments were rejected by the plus-size boutiques because we were 'too trendy' and we were told, 'big girls won't wear clothes like this - they just want to be comfortable'. But I realised after interviewing other women that the holy grail of so many women over a size 14 is funky clothing which can be adapted to reflect a unique look."
Convinced she'd stumbled across a key niche market in Australia, the voluptuous size 18 designer decided to take things into her own hands. Setting up a small office in her own garage, Edhouse began to distribute the label - Entitled - directly to women through a party-plan service. And what started out as a one-woman operation has now turned into 30 stylists selling nationally.
"Because things exploded so quickly, there really wasn't time to be held down by self doubt," she says. "It would have otherwise convinced me of my inability to survive in an industry I knew so little about. My experience in fashion prior to Entitled was limited to creatively adapting clothing available as a size 18 into a look which was unique and sassy. Clothing which was not baggy and frumpy but structured and edgy."
Reflecting this philosophy in her own designs for Entitled, Edhouse has created a range of fitted casual, active, swimwear, corporate wear and evening wear for women sized 8 to 32. Designing two ranges a year and operating an online web service, the designer has also recently teamed up with a local leather manufacturer to create a range of boots and belts designed to "enhance shape rather then hide it".
Careful not to exclude smaller sizes in her collections, Edhouse says she wants to move away from the perception women should dress depending on their size.
"We have been mindful to separate ourselves from many of the inherent philosophies which permeate the plus sized industry. We wanted to create pieces which could be worn by a size eight and her size 22 friend rather than a 'big girl's uniform' recognisable as the plus-sized piece of the season which many other plus-sized women will also be wearing."
Now boasting more than $100,000 a year in sales through its party plan service, Edhouse admits Entitled has come a long way since its early days. Using home demonstrations and stylists as a key promotional strategy, the company also employs a webpage as a branding machine for people to see the product and to spread the label's reputation.
"We have found that the growth through in home demonstrations has been so expedential that we have thus far not needed to pursue further advertising."
Earlier this month, the burgeoning company was formally recognised for its efforts by taking out the top honour in the 2006 Telstra Queensland Micro-Business Award. Hoping to continue its expansion through its home, the company has no plans to pursue retail avenues in the near future.
"Because our stylists are working on the ground with our clients, they developed a fine sense of what is working and fashion problems experienced by our client group. I see much of the design process to be about problem solving and providing a workable and creative fashion solution. The learning curve has been steep and the ride wild but the hand on experience of learning on the fly has been invaluable."