Everyone has the right to wear the clothes they love and to feel beautiful, confident, and comfortable. As a natural size 16 myself, I’ve witnessed the evolution of the beauty and fashion industry. I’ve personally felt uncomfortable through advertisements and societal standards about being a size larger than eight or just not having the choice to buy clothes that I look at and love.

Over the last few years, seeing the increasing normalisation of natural bodies, the boycotting of unattainable beauty standards, and the increased advertisement of women feeling beautiful in all different shapes and sizes has been incredible. I am so proud of the women for this progress, for standing up for ourselves, voicing what it’s like to be a woman, and demanding change – for our daughters, best friends and ourselves.

I recognise that so much progress in this space is still to be made, the deeply rooted programming that cycles through a female’s brain about fitting into smaller sizes, fear of not being beautiful enough, and so on. But I am pleased to share the excitement I have for being able to invest in a gorgeous Australian brand I love, with a focus on curvy girl sizes 14 and 16, for hire with all of you. I hope this brand can be a part of the movement towards further inclusivity of beautiful bodies and souls.

I fell in love with Alemais two years ago while looking for an outfit for a family event. The brand drew my attention for many reasons, including its creativity, sustainability, Australian design, artist collaboration, use of ethical materials and work standards, and, last but certainly not least, its ability to cater to my size.

I thank Tania and my soul sisters, Lizzie and Margie, for being your real-life models and my muck-about mates since childhood. They are the definition of love, laughter, and positive energy. I am grateful because they bring Alémais hires to life for all of us. Photo taken by the beautiful Julie Sisco Photograhy at Goompi, Minjerribah.

I then began ordering various dresses in different Alemais styles and realised that each style, and often size, fit me differently. In so many cases, a size 14 or 12 would fit me, a size 16 would fit me, and women typically defined themselves as size 18 or 20. I then started to reflect on the concept of sizing in general and how, as women, we typically focus on a size number, but we are less encouraged to know our measurements and explore our shapes. This realisation became liberating and exciting for me. As a fashion lover, I was enthused to start investing in this brand, sharing it with my friends and family, and opening conversations around knowing and loving yourself, experimenting with different styles and finding what makes you feel confident, irrespective of the size tag.

The brand Conscious Curations began to form legs—Curvy, detailed, unique ones. So, my love for fashion has grown, with almost 600 Alemais pieces and counting. I’ve realised that it's now much more than my love for bold style and expression; it's also this excitement to see women feeling empowered, beautiful, confident, and comfortable in excellent, high-quality clothing.

Since the beginning, I’ve always wanted to advocate for women like me who love fashion but have had to say no too many times to their dream outfits because their size wasn’t available. Not only did I want to advocate for ensuring curvy girls have beautiful clothes to wear and love, but I also wanted to advocate for everything else that comes with this. I tried to breathe life into the view that endless beauty exists within every one of us, irrespective of size.

So, I hope your experience with us at Conscious Curations leaves you feeling happy, supported, loved and ready to have the most beautiful time wearing your chosen Alemais.

x ClareC