Lena Dunham has just announced that she has teamed up with 11 Honoré for the release of her very own, limited style fashion line that designs clothing for plus sized women. Coming from a place in life where she has felt very abandoned by the fashion industry due to being deemed 'overweight,' she has opted to carve a path for other plus sized women, in hopes that they can avoid facing the same scrutiny. Taking matters into her own hands, she's releasing her own line of clothing that The Guardian indicates is a closer representation to her own personal experience... one that embraces the desires of so many other women that the fashion industry seems to have discarded along the way.
Lena has had the unique experience of having a thin frame as well as a plus sized figure during her 10 years under the spotlight of Hollywood fame, and she reveals that during her heavier years, the world has proven to be a difficult one for her. She has openly discussed that she has not been approached for any sort of endorsement deals as a result of her larger frame, and she's fed up with the way society judges a woman by the size of her frame.
The New York Times is quoted as saying; "This week 11 Honoré x Lena Dunham debuts, a collaboration between Ms. Dunham and the e-tail site that has championed high fashion for plus size women, getting runway designers to make their brands accessible beyond Size 10."
Lena is approaching this new endeavor with precision. She is only releasing 5 items as part of her product launch, and she indicates that all five are connected to her personal experience, and reflect her struggles with merging weight gain with fashion. She is putting a lot of focus into the fit of her clothing, ensuring that the world understand the need for a little lift, and for some added styling when it come to plus sized clothing, rather than simply adding more fabric.
The new clothing items happen to have some pretty cool names, too. The Guardian reports that; "The garments in the collection are named after locations around SoHo, the part of Manhattan where Dunham grew up in the 1980s and 90s." Dunham went on to say; "“We don’t stop loving clothes or having unique styles just because the world desexualizes and dehumanizes plus bodies,” she said, adding that there was still “a huge barrier to entry for plus women even enjoying fashion”.
Fans are thrilled to see Lena's focus being put on something productive, and this certainly does seem like a passion project that she has thrown herself into. Plus sized women across the globe are excited to try on these new clothing items, and the fashion world as a whole could benefit from the addition of a more inclusive product line.
Sources: The Guardian, The New York Times