We recently connected with Ashley Joyner and have shared our conversation below.

Ashley, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

Cinched Collections is an apparel line that is specifically curated and designed with curvy women in mind, including sizes S-5X! The styles are made with additional inches added accordingly for women with prominent bust, thigh, and hip areas. The line includes stylish yet functional tops, bottoms, and dresses.

There is a large disparity between plus and straight sizes in the market, with most retailers catering to one or the other. This brand is diversified by including sizes S-5XL for curvy women, because you can easily be a size 6 or 8 and struggle to find properly fitting clothing. We promote natural, curvaceous bodies as a means to enhance self-esteem in minority women. Curvy women of color are heavily marketed and well-represented within marketing campaigns as a means to be highly inclusive!

Minority women in the fashion industry are often subjected to various forms of discrimination and toxicity from unfair pay wages to social alienation. The mission from an environmental perspective is to promote equality, reduce burnout rates, and increase cultural acceptance within the workplace. Cinched prides itself in promoting a healthy and inclusive work environment! Many curvy Black and Brown women have hardly ever felt properly represented in the fashion industry. This brand serves as a means to employ and embrace minorities!

Cinched Collections also opens doors by outsourcing and employing people of various backgrounds, especially people of color. Founded in 2019, the clothing is produced in NYC by a minority-owned manufacturer and provides employment to many people of color. Cinched Collections strives to empower curvy women and invest in other minority-owned businesses!

Ashley, 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?

I’m a multifaceted individual, who is both left and right-brained! I’ve always been extremely passionate about the fashion industry, as an outlet to express my innovative side.

I create eclectic, statement pieces that I would like to purchase as a curvy woman. I design with a balance of trend and comfort, along with methodical thinking. I have over a decade of experience in merchandising and product development. I’ve worked for various women’s department stores and specialty retailers, including plus size brands in NYC.

We as minority women in the fashion industry are often subjected to various forms of discrimination and toxicity from unfair pay wages to social alienation. My goal from an environmental perspective is to promote equality, reduce burnout rates, and increase cultural acceptance within the workplace. Cinched prides itself in promoting a healthy and inclusive work environment! Many curvy Black and Brown women, such as myself have hardly ever felt properly represented in the fashion industry. This brand serves as a means to employ and embrace curvy women of color.

After facing extreme burnout and depression while working in the fashion industry, I was somewhat relieved to be laid off due to COVID-19. I saw that as a prime opportunity to take a step out on faith and launch Cinched Collections! I was inspired to create a business that empowers specific marginalized, yet highly profitable markets. Plus size women over a size 10 spend about $20 billion on apparel. There are very many plus sized brands, but not enough that specifically design clothing for women with curves. We are providing solutions for a highly underserved market.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

I personally design every style while considering the critical needs of my target market while providing functionality. I conduct surveys, focus groups, and discussions with my core audience to better gauge their needs and request feedback. My goal is to directly tackle the pain points that curvy women of color experience in the fashion industry.

I post regularly on social media, maintain email marketing, and swiftly respond to client messages.

Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.

Cinched Collections is made in NYC by minority-owned manufacturers. I sketch each style and work with manufacturers and sample makers who also specialize in product development to bring my styles to life. I source fabrics and notions to complement the sketches, then work with the sample marker or factory to produce the patterns and first sample. We then conduct a fitting and request alterations as needed.

We used to go into mass production, but now we are working towards being more sustainable. As a result, this new collection features made-to-order pieces. We ask our clients to allow a 2-3 week start ship window to ensure a quality, sustainable production of your order. We provide updates throughout the process. This ensures that each piece is efficiently hand-made instead of being mass-produced and adding to the 92 million tons of textile waste annually in the fashion industry.

Finding the right local manufacturer has been one of my biggest struggles, but I finally have a network of trusted manufacturers in NYC that I collaborate with!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://cinchedcollections.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cinchedcollections/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cinchedcollections/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-joyner-9b14a8a9/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/cinchedcollect
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdgok_oOPGMjCJMV9v5Rw9Q
• Other: Capsule II Lookbook: https://drive.google.com/file/d/16ang4D0KxOItKqMyAai3IwJEO2-WkMrH/view?usp=sharing

Image Credits
Monolith Images Studio Henry Stampfel Photography Dynasty Fashion Photography Cristian Paez Photography