Three words can best describe Angela and Karen Samuels and the business they run together. Those words are Sexy Bolder You, reports thestar.com.
The words are displayed prominently in Voluptuous, a chain of stores in Toronto that sells trendy fashions in sizes 12 to 20 and is owned and operated by the sisters.
But what sets the four Voluptuous stores apart from other purveyors of plus-size apparel is their unabashed, enthusiastic embrace of fast fashion trends cut for the curvy girl.
The Jamaican-born Samuels sisters started the company 10 years ago with a single store. Today, they compare their four locations (in Dufferin Mall, Scarborough Town Centre, Square One and Vaughan Mills) to super-trendy favourites like Costa Blanca: the clothes are cheap and cheerful, but curvaceous.
“Traditionally, plus-size was not trendy,” says Angela, 40, who is a statuesque size 14 and a former plus-size model. “But we want girls in high school to look like their peers. We want women just entering the workforce to look like their co-workers. We want women who want to go to clubs to look like the other girls at the clubs.
“I always felt that being plus-size, you’re going to stand out anyway. So if you’re going to be seen, I want you to be seen in a nice light.”
Photo from Volumptuous