Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Morgan Davis. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Morgan, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

My interest in fashion/fashion design started at a young age for me. In late elementary/middle school, my mom would take me to sewing classes at our local JoAnn Fabrics.

I didn’t start seeing fashion as a possible career for me till high school. Around this time, I used to frequent the thrift store constantly to find pieces that I could upcycle/re-invent. Additionally, outside of school, I was very active in my high school’s theatre department. When I wasn’t on stage, I spent a lot of time in the costume department, and helping build sets.

However, what really solidified things for me was when I started my plus size fashion blog + upcycled clothing line when I was 17. The blog and the clothing line helped me get an early glimpse of entrepreneurship, and was a form of catharsis since as a Black fat teen/college student there weren’t many safe spaces at that time (in person) where I felt like I could be my unadulterated self.

I operated my blog/clothing line till my sophomore year of college. I went to college in Washington, D.C. at Howard University where I received my BFA in Design with a Concentration in Fashion. Since I already had a good handle when it came to sewing, college really was more of a time for me to connect with new people and further find my creative voice.

I think one of the most common misconceptions is that you need to go to college to become a fashion designer. While I think it would have been interesting to have experienced going to an art school (instead of being an art major at a traditional 4 year school) — overall I don’t think it’s a necessity. Outside of the technical skill sets that you learn, the biggest pro of college as whole (for really all types of majors — art and non art related) are the connections. However, you can definitely cultivate those relationships outside of a university environment.

Morgan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Fashion and entrepreneurship have always been a big part of my life. I went to school for fashion design at Howard University, and since the age of 17 I’ve specialized in size inclusivity/making clothing for plus size folks.

In the summer of 2020, I started Morganeliz as an ode to my inner teen, and as a metaphorical love letter to encourage folks of size to take up space. My business focuses on providing earthy, ethereal, handmade, made-to-order, and size inclusive (XXS-8X) clothing, accessories, and home goods that highlight the beauty in fashion as a form of self-care, art, and liberation. In particular, I predominately specialize in handmade cowl neck tops + dresses, and waist chains.

As a Black fat woman, Morganeliz was born out of my own personal needs, and also seeing those needs reflected in folks like myself. While the fashion industry has came a long way, it’s still tremendously lacking when it comes to true size inclusivity. Some brands have started to include larger sizes; however, many times they stop at a 3X, and/or are not true to size — making these efforts rather surface level.

My primary mission is to give folks who are marginalized in the fashion industry/overall (with an emphasis on Black and Brown fat folks) access to quality, beautiful, fashion-forward clothing. I love when I receive reviews from customers, and one of their biggest comments is about how everything feels made for them (rather than the clothing wearing them).

With every new collection that I drop, I consistently strive to be another option for folks who want to feel good in their clothing, and desire pieces that encourage them to celebrate themselves (despite the fatphobia and Anti-Blackness that’s rampant in our society).

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

One of my most recent pivots was in 2020. Around this time, I was running another business that was focused around helping other Black creative entrepreneurs grow their business through events, workshops, a retail store, and other programming/opportunities. I started that business in 2015, and around 2019 I was starting to desire a change. When I started that business, I had just graduated from college and I was still cultivating what life looks like for me. Plus, due to a toxic college professor, I had graduated feeling a little defeated about my capabilities of being a good/noteworthy designer. So, for 6 years, I slightly stepped away from fashion design (only doing custom work here and there), to focus on a business that at that time I thought was going to be a lifelong journey for me.

However, over the years, as I took the time to unpack certain traumas/fears I had developed regarding my creative abilities, I realized I missed making clothing — and that I was very good at it.

Around the time that COVID had started to have a major influence in the US, I had to reduce 80% of my previous business — because so much of it was face-to-face. Due to this, I had a lot of time to think and focus my attention on other things — which is how Morganeliz, my size inclusive clothing line, came to be.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I would say there are two missions/goals in particular that drive my creative journey. The first being creative freedom. Over the past 7/8 years, I unintentionally was restricting myself creatively due to fear. I wasn’t confident in my work/myself due to anxiety, and negative societal expectations (when it comes to what’s expected of Black fat femmes). Now that I better understand where that fear was coming from, I always try to make sure that Morganeliz is continually a space of creative freedom for me.

The second is being a safe online (and ideally in-person as well down the road) retail space for other fat folks (especially Black fat femmes). Despite the incessant and almost ritualistic fatphobia and anti-Blackness that’s rampant within the fashion industry (and society as a whole), I want for my clothing line to be an example of how fashion can and should be used a form of self expression and liberation (especially for marginalized folks).

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.morganeliz.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_morganeliz/
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@morganelizdesigns