We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful LaToya Bray. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with LaToya below.

Hi LaToya, thanks for joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

Not Your Size is based on the plus-size shopping experience. It’s the experience regarding shopping for something you like to later find out it doesn’t come in your size or if it does come in your size it doesn’t fit properly. The concept of dressing in themes is not new, but it’s something we subconsciously do every day. We wake up and decide to wear the persona that’s at the forefront of our minds. That persona could feel like wearing grunge or sweatpants, whatever is decided reflects how we want to be seen that day. Our mission is to provide plus-size bodies with a safe space to connect with the multiple ways they want to be seen.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

How I got into fashion and why I own a brand today.

I’ve always loved fashion. When I was a little girl I read a book about a 16-year-old girl that moved to New York to become a fashion model. I fell in love with the story and decided to pursue modeling. In the 90s, black models weren’t prevalent on the runways much less curvy models. Even during that time, I was a size 13 but the majority of the models back then wore a size zero or two. Later in life, I decided since I couldn’t be a model, I would go to school to become a fashion designer. Plans did not work out, but I did find retail jobs which I eventually quit due to becoming pregnant at 23. At that time, I entered the IT industry, but always had a love for fashion. I started blogging in my late 30s and launched a t-shirt brand with a business partner, which failed due to unforeseeable reasons. I then launched a brand for my daughter and dancers like her called Revel Dancewear. We ended up changing the name to Revel Streetwear, which we renamed and rebranded to Not Your Size. This lands us where we are today. We have been through transitions from not knowing our focus to landing on Not Your Size which clearly aligns with some of the struggles we see in the plus-size fashion industry with the size and fit regarding apparel.

What’s kept me focused on refining our brand and our message, is the ability to provide a service to others. Connecting with yourself through fashion can be frustrating and we want to help alleviate some of that frustration by creating a safe space for plus-size bodies to connect with the multiple ways they want to be seen.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

On this journey, I have learned many lessons along the way. One of the lessons that will always stick with me is knowing your why, your brand’s voice, and how those two things translate to your personality and brand identity.

In the beginning, I just knew that I wanted to create plus-size apparel that people could wear to the studio, dress up, or hang out with friends, which would help my daughter and her friends feel comfortable in their skin. I honestly didn’t know how to communicate that in written words. After trial and error of trying to speak in a language that I do not connect with and knowing this isn’t my story, I always felt imposter syndrome. I couldn’t be the voice of our brand. I honestly struggled with understanding how someone can own/run a brand that is not part of their demographic. This experience lead me to be more authentic with the message I was delivering by sharing my stories. I ultimately started to think about content differently. Not only did I think about what I wanted to see but how others would perceive this message. I always reflect on this experience, because it allowed me to connect with myself more not only as a brand owner but as a consumer. Also, allowed me to be more transparent in my conversations with the community and be able to share some of my struggles as a plus-size woman.

Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?

When we first started, I used Squarespace, and BigCommerce then moved to WordPress. We’re currently using Shopify. Ultimately the decision to use Shopify was because most fashion brands use it and I kept hearing how easy it was to set up and maintain your virtual storefront. I wish they had a free package for those starting off, but the lower package isn’t bad price-wise. I’ve remained with Shopify due to price and flexibility. It has all of the integrations I need as well as the company is always adding innovative apps to the platform.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.notyoursize.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/notyoursizephx
• Facebook: facebook.com/notyoursizephx
• Linkedin: linkedIn.com/notyoursizephx
• Twitter: twitter.com/notyoursizephx

Image Credits
Models – Ce-Ce Marie, Moni Janae, and Zyannia Photographers – Jaron Quach & Matt Young