For years my best friend and fellow model Diane and I had had spoken of doing some creative fashion projects together. In 2006 after several frustrating "fashion" shoots in which we were forced to wear clothing that we thought was anything but fashionable, we started to speak about the changes needed in the fashion industry. We observed countless examples of our smaller model counterparts participating in projects and shows that allowed them to be ultra creative. We decided that since the industry wasn't going to fulfill our creative needs at sizes 12 and 14, instead of complaining, we would need to create the projects ourselves. Diane had always wanted to create a calendar featuring curvy models so we thought there was no better time than the present and jumped right into creating The Fenomenal Calendar in the summer of 2006.
In a few short months, we threw together a calendar in what we later learned was supposed to have been an 18 month project - oops. We said after if we had any idea how much work the project would have been we probably never would have started! We decided to pay homage to the women of the 1940's and 1950's, an era in which curves were celebrated - not just tolerated - and the top female celebrities of the time were known for their gorgeous hips and fuller figures. We dove into researching the retro styles of the era.
We launched the calendar in late 2006 to much fanfare from the press. The general public was thrilled to see models not only over a size 2 in a creative project but over a size 12! The response was overwhelming and we were very happy to not only have created something visually appealing but something that created much discussion amongst the media and fashion industry. It was because of this project that I really started to take a deep look at the "rules" in place in the fashion industry and in our own minds and decided to continue to create new projects to break out of the box we've been in for so long. The experience of creating The Fenomenal Calendar was truly the beginning of a new way of thinking for me and helped give birth to the Walk the Catwalk campaign and other positive projects.
