7 Plus Size & Size Inclusive Designers Talk About Their Experiences In The Business

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15 Minutes In Heidi’s World

AS she stopped off in London this week to promote
her lingerie collection, Intimates, we caught up with the model,
presenter, reality-show judge, actress, sometime trampoliner and
entrepreneur Heidi Klum to talk wardrobe space, red-carpet
mistakes and her new underwear motto.

You’ve been working on Intimates for a
year now, so what has changed since you took over from your predecessor, Elle Macpherson?

“When I started, the line already existed and had done for
25 years, so it’s taken a while for me to introduce new shapes,
which now you can see in this collection. The range now is a
mixture of pre-existing shapes and my new shapes, because I wanted
to get away from the big push-up, but at the same time I didn’t
want to change any of the styles that we know the customer
loves.”

What are your tips for women who are
shopping for lingerie?

“Well first of all, you have to get measured. Sometimes
you see a woman who’s wearing a tight T-shirt and you can see
underneath that it’s sort of lumpy on the side, and that is nothing
to do with the woman, it’s just that the bra is too tight; she’s
wearing the wrong size. I would say probably 50 per cent of women
are wearing the wrong size of bra.”

You’ve always modelled your own
collections, is this something you can see ending or only when your
body tells you enough is enough?

“I think, when the time comes, I probably will say, ‘Maybe
someone else can shoot it this time,’ but at the moment it’s still
a lot of fun. I don’t think that getting older is a negative thing
either, and especially with lingerie the older you get the more
important it becomes. In your twenties you don’t even really need
to wear a bra, because everything is standing by itself, but later
- and after four kids – lingerie becomes more important than
before. Does it matter that you’re a little bit more wrinkly or
have aged? I feel very fortunate every year that I get to be
older.”

Is underwear something fundamental to your look? What pieces
are must-haves for you?

“Everything starts with lingerie. When you put on something in
the morning that makes you feel great, even if no one gets to see
it – that’s nice. It’s important to have pieces for every occasion.
Whether that is a T-shirt bra, corset or chemise, we have styles
for every woman’s needs. The A Corps Perdu is a favorite of mine
since it has a more natural shape and shows a lot of skin. My
new motto is ‘More boobs, less bra.’”

How would you describe your personal
style, and has it changed over the years?

“When I buy clothes now I don’t buy throwaway clothes. I’m
looking for pieces that are still fashion, but that have some
longevity. Rather than have people say in two years’ time, ‘Oh
she’s wearing something from two years ago,’ I don’t buy like that,
but I think maybe younger girls do.”

There are always people who like what you do and people
who don’t like what you do, and I completely understand that. What
I don’t understand is, if they don’t like someone, why follow
them?

You must have gathered a lot of amazing
pieces over the years, what is your wardrobe like?

“Well, I’m a hoarder, but I have two girls so I feel like
I have an excuse. I have all my shoes in boxes, all photographed on
the front, so I’m a hoarder but I’m an organised hoarder. I wear a
size 41 so my girls are hoping for big feet. They’ll say, ‘Oh but
your feet are big mum,’ but I tell them, ‘Who knows, let’s see
what’s gonna happen.’ There’s sunglasses and belts and bags and
dresses, so the shoes aren’t the end of the story. There’s a lot to
choose from.”

You’ve been dressing for the red carpet
for a long time, what do you look for when choosing a
gown?

“My style, I guess, is pretty eclectic and I go always with my
mood. My clothes speak my personality, and I don’t have a boring
personality I would say – I’m opinionated, I love life, I have fun
in my life – so now and again what I choose to wear, I’ll get
hammered for. I don’t dress to impress the people who are going to
write about it: I see something, I fall in love with it, and that’s
what I want to wear. I wore this Versace canary-yellow dress and
when I looked at it; the construction, it was so beautiful. I knew
before I wore it that I was going to get called ‘Big Bird’ for it,
but I didn’t care because I loved it. I love Donatella because
she’s the same way; she loves clothes and she’s true to just going
with her gut. She doesn’t think, ‘What’s this critic going to say?’
She’s not ‘safe’. I see those things and my eyes light up. I just
think, ‘I want that.’”

Models who are mothers often say that the
dressing-up aspect of the job has a new attraction when they have
kids – being pampered rather than being such a chore – is this how
you see it?

“The dressing-up aspect of the job is something that was
always exciting to me, before and after I had my kids. It’s amazing
to me what the talented and creative people in the fashion industry
come up with. It’s fun to put on an amazing look and take on
different characters for a photo spread. I’m really fortunate to
love what I do and work with people who inspire me, so it’s never
felt like a chore.”

Are you more of an off-duty or on-duty
person when it comes to style?

“When I’m at home I’m usually in a bikini or shorts. I’m lucky
to live in LA where it’s warm all year. My kids and I are always in
and out of the pool, on and off of the trampoline. We’re active!
But when I’m at work, I can’t wait to see what they have in store
for me. I’ve had on some pretty amazing pieces for photo
shoots.”

Do you remember a moment when you really
felt that you’d made it as a model?

“When I went with the Sports Illustrated team to
the Maldives. I remember thinking, this is the big league. It’s a
big deal to even do Sports Illustrated for the first time.
Even if you don’t get the cover, millions of readers are going to
know who you are. When I found out I got the cover, my mouth fell
open. I couldn’t believe it! It was that moment that turned my
entire life on its head. Since then though, there have been so many
pinch-me moments. I’m still always proud of magazine covers -
German Vogue, French Vogue.  I’ve done
cosmetics commercials, hair commercials and even having products
with my own name on them. They are all big moments for
me.  I’ve been doing this for a long time and a
lot of people have said, ‘It’s never gonna happen,’ but I’m still
here and still doing it, so it’s been a good ride.”

You’ve been involved in several reality
shows – what do you think it takes to be a good judge?

“These contestants are stepping out of their comfort zones
on national television to show the world their talent. That takes a
lot of guts! It’s important to remember that while you’re sitting
in your judge’s chair. You want to be fair and honest but not crush
their spirits.”

Being a businesswoman, as well as
representing other people’s businesses, you must have learned a lot
over the past 20-plus years – what are the key lessons you feel
your time in the industry has taught you? 

“The key lessons I’ve learned are: being in the right
place at the right time can do wonders for you; thinking outside
the box sets you apart from your competition; always work hard; the
importance of having a great and supportive team; and to love what
you do.”

I love Donatella because she’s the same way as me;
she loves clothes and she’s true to just going with her gut.

You’ve done just about everything
imaginable in the entertainment industry – from acting and
presenting to singing and dancing – what’s still on your list to
have a go at?

“I don’t think there’s much left that I haven’t done! I’ve
been lucky enough to act, present, host, sing, dance and design
throughout my career. They’re all things I’ve wanted to do since I
was a young girl, I still can’t believe I’ve been able to do so
many different things!”

Generally you seem quite easy going and
tend to make jokes if someone ( like Donald Trump) says something negative about you – how have
you learned to deal with criticism over your time in the public
eye, and does anything ever upset you?

“Everyone has an opinion, and especially now that they can hide
behind social media, but the positive thing with that is that you
can also have a voice. Twenty years ago, if you weren’t someone who
was fortunate enough to be interviewed, no one would hear what you
had to say. At least now I have the choice – which I don’t always
do, but I can – to say something about false things that might be
being said. I don’t always want to get in to a Twitter rant about
every false story, but I could, so it’s nice now to have that
choice. There are always people who like what you do and people who
don’t like what you do, and I completely understand that. What I
don’t understand is, if they don’t like someone, why follow them?
Why are they wasting their time? That’s what I don’t understand.
When I see something negative, it does bother me, but not that
much. I’m not reading it all, I’m not scrolling through every
negative comment. You can never win anyway, so you just have to do
whatever you believe is the right thing.”

Heidi Klum Intimates is available is available from
Selfridges, House of Fraser, Harrods, John Lewis, Brown Thomas, and
online at Heidiklumintimates.com, Figleaves and ASOS as
well as at select boutiques nationwide. Prices range from £10 to
£120. Heidi Klum Swim will launch later this summer.

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