‘One size fits all’ isn’t a term you’ll hear thrown around much in the fashion industry, but in a bid to move away from high fashion’s size 6 or nothing memo, Ester Manas designs clothes that will stretch to fit anybody. The Belgian designer was inspired by her own experience trying to find clothes that looked good and fit well, tired of the lifeless brown and beige garments available for plus-size women, Ester set out to design clothes that say ‘we exist too!’

Manas’ goal was beyond achieved at her recent FW22 show, where ruched materials in an explosion of hyper-vivid colours were worn by diverse and inspiring women who brought a fresh perspective on who high fashion is ‘for’. From Paloma Elsesser to Ariish Wol, the label dedicates itself to providing opportunities for women the fashion industry have ignored in the past. Aside from those on the runway, industry experts like Amina Muaddi and Ajshe Berishaj have recently been spotted in Manas’ sexy knits and colourful dresses, giving the label the recognition and credibility it deserves.

But, self-empowerment isn’t the only ethos Ester Manas has dedicated itself to, taking on another pressing issue in the fashion industry, the label is devoted to making sustainability a priority. By using deadstock materials to produce their stunning designs and creating them just 20 minutes away from their warehouse, the label is perfect for dressing fiercely, yet, responsibly this summer.

A highlight of their available products is the label’s heart-shaped clutch. While inclusive and sustainable, no label is complete without an ‘it bag’ to match, and Manas’ blush pink purse might just be the bag we fall for this season. Meanwhile, ruffled dresses, cut-out tees, and heart-shaped hoops are proving themselves our summer necessity. Shop our favourites below!

£ 450

Ester Manas Black Clutch

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£ 180

Ester Manas Diana Sweat

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£ 450

Ester Manas Lilac Clutch

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£ 240

Ester Manas Peephole Tank Top Black

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£ 410

Ester Manas Peephole Dress

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Words By Olivia Booth

_{Photo Credit: Ester Manas}

The post Fierce, Sexy, and Sustainable: Ester Manas Is The Fashion Label That Truly Has It All appeared first on Voir Fashion.

As the fashion scene expands its horizons in terms of inclusivity, there are a number of emerging fashion brands that are making it their winning point. We can’t get any more excited about this trajectory that small brands are taking, especially in times like these that force us to redefine traditional, surpassed rules in the industry. Here is our guide for the best inclusive beachwear brands for body positivity.

Maison Roèl

Maison Roèl’s designer Eleonora Rocchini, wanted to concretize her vision of making women express their sensuality unapologetically, and exalt every body type – the natural beauty of the feminine body. The brand encapsulates the essence of a modern, resilient woman that regains ultimate power over herself. As the designer mentioned in an interview with Vogue Italia, she started the brand following some seriously catastrophic events in her life: she had lost her home, her job and even her clothes, and therefore she decided to invest everything she owned into this brand that fully focuses on empowering and uplifting other women.

“Women that are strong, free and independent, that live for themselves without prejudices and hatred towards other women, that feel beautiful in their own skin and don’t succumb to the will of others. I wanted to give something of mine, and that is why Maison Roèl embraces these positive and uplifting values and involves as many diverse women as possible, regardless of the size they wear.”

For her first show to present the brand to the world, the designer launched her swimwear collection along with some very powerful statements. “Curvy in fashion needs to be normalized”, and, as Eleonora recalls, every body type should be exalted, not oppressed.

The simplistic patterns are stunning, the designs hug the body like second skin and they truly embody the brand’s values.

£ 65

Elenoire Bikini

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£ 73.40

Rihanna Bow Bikini

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£ 82

Angelina Bikini

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CHROMAT

Founded by Becca McCharen-Tran, the brand claims to promote sustainable designs that don’t harm the planet and fit all sizes perfectly, and we surely agree!

£ 112

Cax Suit

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£ 90.60

Mikito Mesh Suit

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£ 98

Contour Rashguard

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LONELY THE LABEL

The New Zealand-based design house, celebrates the strength and individuality of women through comfortable styles and their signature silhouettes. The brands boasts an incredible Instagram following, and their silhouettes have dominated the platform.

£ 135

Connie Bikini Port

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£ 76.50

Daphne Swimsuit Oxblood

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£ 92

Dita Brief Apple

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Words By Tommaso Donati

The post Starting The Sunny Season Off Right: Swimwear Brands For Body Positivity appeared first on Voir Fashion.

Savage x Fenty has successfully made a name for itself in the industry as one of the most diverse and representative brands. Thankfully, Rihanna seems intent on growing that reputation even further as the newest Savage x Fenty line drops. 

As we flipped our calendars over to March, Rihanna put a spring in our step by dropping the latest Savage x Fenty Spring collection for March 2021. The newest collection is heavily ‘60s inspired, with cute floral prints and swinging silhouettes. 

Inclusivity is always at the forefront of every drop with Savage x Fenty. The brand ranges from sizes 32A TO 42DD and XS to 3X, but it’s the stunning models that have grabbed our attention. In a promotional film, some whimsical beauties flaunted their stuff in some pretty and delicate lingerie, and it might be our favourite drop yet. 

Rihanna’s brand has always had a beautiful casting of models for her collections and has constantly raised the standards in the fashion industry with representative casting. Last week, Tamera McLaughlin (@ayethatsmera) announced via Instagram that she was ‘The first Little Person Ambassador’ for Savage x Fenty (and her pics were stunning). Rihanna’s models have included those who are pregnant, breast cancer survivors, and along with a good representation of all different kinds of bodies (because each one is different and worth celebrating), the Savage x Fenty lines have never been short of women, non-binary and male models to show off the stellar collections.

Fortunately for all of us, Rihanna’s love of robes has manifested itself with the Spring collection, which is a huge win for us, because what’s a better lounging around at home ‘fit than a Savage x Fenty floral robe? 

The ‘Free Spirit Floral’ collection has all the colourways we need for spring, with bright hues and pastels. The shoot looks like something straight out of a woodland spring fantasy, with beautiful models stretched against a whimsical backdrop with some pretty ‘60s makeup to boot. 

It’s hard to choose highlights, as the whole collection is jaw-dropping, but the ‘floral embroidered night slip’ and the ‘freshly picked mesh robe’ deserve an honourable mention. Unfortunately, the get-up Rihanna rocked in the promotional shoot has already sold out (are we surprised?) but the rest of the collection is still available to purchase online. Best of all though, the Savage x Fenty website allows you to view the items on different models, to get a sense of what the lingerie looks like on all body types. 

Truthfully, there’s nothing quite like the latest Savage x Fenty drop and its swinging ‘60s film debut to get us excited for the coming Spring. We’re grateful that Savage x Fenty is once again setting the standards within the industry to include everybody in their spring collection, because we all deserve to lounge in the sun in some pretty floral lingerie. 

£ 15

Savage X Fenty Free Spirit Cotton Essentials Bralette

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£ 75

Fenty X Savage Free Spirit Floral Embroidery Night Slip

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£ 75

Savage X Fenty Free Spirit Floral Mesh Teddy

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Words By Megan Selway

The post Diversity and Lingerie: Savage x Fenty’s Spring Collection appeared first on Voir Fashion.

The ‘Body Positivity’ movement has crescendo-ed in following in recent years. All over Instagram, it is hashtag-ed in untouched bikini photos, ‘Instagram v Reality’ posts and candid pictures of stretch marks and cellulite – but this wasn’t what the movement was intended for. These posts are often of thin, able-bodied white women and are actually aligned with a ‘self-love’ movement, rather than with body positivity.

Body positivity is a movement to empower marginalised bodies. It emerged in the late ’60s as a fat acceptance movement, and since then has grown to create a space to celebrate bodies that are otherwise systemically and societally oppressed due to their weight, race, gender and/or ableness.

This is not to say the movements of body positivity and self-love are not connected – they share the same idea of becoming confident in your own body and celebrating its existence, but body positivity owes its roots to a movement that was born from fighting discrimination and oppression.

It is a movement actively deconstructing the racism and fat-phobia that is so present in our society today. It is more than just finding peace in loving your body – it’s finding a space where it can be accepted in a society that is taught to reject it.

We have cherry-picked a few influencers who are spearheading this movement who you should follow if you want to learn more about the true meaning of body positivity – and the power of celebrating individuality.

@bodyposipanda

“You do not owe the world pretty. You do not owe the world thin. You do not owe the world thick. You do not owe the world a body that you have to sacrifice your mental health for.” – words from @bodyposipanda’s Instagram

@stephanieyeboah

“All I know is, my black body is a temple – it is beautiful, independent, and mine. It cannot and will not be fetishized” – words from @stephanieyeboah’s Instagram

@curvynyome

“Our bodies are constantly ignored, overlooked and in most instances paid less for jobs we do and our white counterparts are exemplified and taken to be the pinnacle of what is considered as beautiful and seen as having the body size and fat distribution that is ‘just right’. We won’t let that lie!” – words from @curvynyome’s Instagram

@enamasiama

“Girl, I woke up today, and I’m just so thankful to be black. I woke up today, and I’m just so thankful that my fat ass could wake up and do something that inspires someone on the internet to love themselves.” – words from @enamasiama’s Instagram

@lizzobeeating

“I’ve been doing positive music for a long-ass time. Then the culture changed. There were a lot of things that weren’t popular but existed, like body positivity, which at first was a form of protest for fat bodies and black women and has now become a trendy, commercialized thing. Now I’ve seen it reach the mainstream. Suddenly I’m mainstream! How could we have guessed something like this would happen when we’ve never seen anything like this before?” – words from @lizzobeeating’s Instagram

Words by Allegra Campbell Boreham

Graphics by Georgia Walters

The post 5 Influencers Re-Framing Instagram’s Body Positivity Revolution appeared first on Voir Fashion.

The stress of the current situation, along with a lack of exercise and an increase in comfort food and snacking, may be causing all of us to feel a bit ‘meh’ about ourselves, both physically and mentally. Voir has spoken to Master and Teacher of Reiki healing (a form of energy healing), Skylar Green, about her views on body image and how to manage the negative thoughts. Skylar believes that ‘chronic stress and poor quality of thinking can consequently lead to how we see ourselves…research tells us there is a powerful connection between the body and the mind’. During this period, we should all be easier on ourselves, encourage the mindset of ‘my weight doesn’t equal my value’.

Body image is a combination of positive thinking and active work. Small steps like positive affirmations will help you bring body confidence while making sure to be active whenever possible is also helpful. If you are dealing with negative body image, Skylar recommends these four steps to help find positivity:

1). Exercise

25-Minute Pilates Workout to Tone Your Abs, Butt, and Arms by POPSUGAR Fitness

Flat-Belly and Tight-Booty Cardio Dance Workout by POPSUGAR Fitness

Exercise in any form- it will reduce stress, release endorphins and keep you fit. Even if it’s just taking the dog out for a walk, or dancing around the kitchen while the coffee brews, it will make you feel happier and you’ll feel better for having done it. Make it fun and blast your favourite tunes and enjoy yourself, it doesn’t have to be a chore.

2). Mantra Meditation

5 min Mantra Meditation for Beginners – Easy Guided Meditation by Yoga with Kassandra

4 Minute Guided Mantra Meditation by Yoga with Candace

Mantra mediation- Mantra is a powerful type of meditation that is practised through sound vibration, either chanted aloud or whispered. It helps to relieve stress, helps you to attain peace and connect to your true self. As you continue to practice this, your poor body image will disappear.

3). New Hobbies

21 Low-Cost Empowering HOBBIES Worth Trying by Alexandra Potora

15 Self Care Ideas for Coronavirus Quarantine by Lavendaire

Find a new hobby- take this time to think about yourself and what you enjoy doing, maybe something you never usually have time for like baking or crafts. Whatever you choose to do, do it with gratitude that comes straight from your heart as this can transform your life.

4). Reiki

There are many ways you can lower stress and encourage some body positivity. Meditation is widely known to help bring peace, but the energy healing practice, Reiki, has also been proven to help benefit towards a better body image. Stress and anxiety can affect your appearance so learning to control it will help physically, as well as helping your mindset. Skylar’s tips to incorporate Reiki practices into our daily lives involve undergoing a level one course in Reiki. This helps us attune and to learn the healing techniques, she explains; ‘Attunement is the energy transmission through the teacher to the student, where the student’s body of energy is attuned to the healing energy of Reiki, which then enhances the student’s ability to channel Reiki for the rest of their life’. For more help and understanding, you can download her e-book ‘The Human: Mind and Soul’.

Having a peaceful attitude will welcome a more positive view towards your body, so, try and avoid focusing on any stress whether its work, money or virus related, and focus on bringing peace to yourself, not beating yourself up for being less active during this time or eating more.

Find out more here:

https://www.facebook.com/naturalpowerfreedom/

www.naturalhealinghearts.com

Words by Camila Karalyte

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The post Staying Body & Mind Positive According to the Professionals appeared first on Voir Fashion.

2019 was Lizzo’s year. Her breakthrough album “Cuz I Love You” received widespread critical acclaim, making her synonymous with effortless confidence and composure. Establishing her as one of the most refreshing voices in the industry, it serves as somewhat of a manifesto of self-love and diverse representation.

True to form, Lizzo shined bright in the AMA’s. Apart from her passionate performance on stage, her costume Valentino orange ruffle dress caught everyone’s attention and gained viral status, largely thanks to her Valentino Garavani VSLING toybag, which more than anything seemed to have been created for the excellent memes that followed. Making the top of every best-dressed list from that night, Lizzo looked absolutely radiant.

While Lizzo’s body-positive attitude is largely received with love and reverberated by fans, representation and its celebration have only recently made centre stage in Hollywood. Even today, talented and successful entertainers larger than a size 0 admit to being systematically ignored by big name designers, who are simply not interested in dressing them for red carpet events.

Possibly the most infamous wardrobe-snob involved comedian Leslie Jones, whom in 2016 was set to make her Hollywood red carpet debut at the Ghostbusters remake premiere. After no designers agreed to dress her, Jones took to Twitter to ask for help. Designer Christian Siriano reached out, and eventually created an old Hollywood style red gown for her, in which she looked confident and elegant.

Following the incident, Siriano expressed his thoughts on the issue through twitter, calling out the industry’s bias against diverse body types:

“It shouldn’t be exceptional to work with brilliant people just because they’re not sample size. Congrats aren’t in order, a change is.”

In the July 2014 issue of Redbook, Hollywood darling Melissa McCarthy said she struggles to find designers willing to dress her for red carpet events, even after becoming one of the highest earning actors in the business. Taking matters to her own hands, McCarthy established her very own namesake clothing line, catering to sizes 2-28. In the 2016 Ghostbusters press tour, she exclusively wore her own vibrant and playful designs.

Other stars whose professional success and achievements were disregarded as they sought to collaborate with designers are Golden Globe winner Octavia Spencer, model Ashley Graham, and actors Dascha Polanco, Rachel Bloom and Christina Hendricks. All of which received negative answers from designers refusing to work with them, even as award nominees, simply because they were not sample size. This seems quite odd, considering that dresses for these events very often are costume made, or at least tailored.

Whether this occurs due to creative visions limited to sizes 0-2, or good ol’ institutional bias against women who don’t conform to classic body image ideals – this is not a good look for the industry. Stepping into a new decade, I hope the vision of Lizzo effortlessly strutting in a custom couture dress, exuding all the confidence in the world, will inspire designers to be allies to talented women and make them feel beautiful and confident in their own skin. The fashion industry must quickly acknowledge the value of diversity and body positivity, as there can be no better PR for brands than creating breathtaking looks for successful women, whose charisma and stage presence can fill up a whole room, rather than a size 0.

Words by Maya Avram

Graphics by Séverine Denis-Lessard

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The post 100% That Dress appeared first on Voir Fashion.