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Finding the right bra: it’s one of those things all of women with and there’s a lot to consider. From balconette and bandeau to push up and wireless, there are endless styles to choose from and of course, first and foremost there’s getting your size right. That’s where most women fall short, Ashley Graham tells me. ‘Honestly, most women are wearing the wrong size bra. The circumference of the bra is usually too big; if you’re pulling your bra down in the back – it’s too big. But if you’re manually scooping your breasts back into the right position,’ she continues, gesturing, ‘then the circumference is too big. If you have a muffin top, over the cup – it’s too small.’
I’m sitting opposite Graham at Berners Tavern, the restaurant limb of hot London hotel, The Edition, when she reaches out to show me hers. ‘It has the most amazing criss-cross on the back. It’s really sexy,’ she says, with the cheeky grin that fans of hers will be used to seeing staring back at them from any of her countless lingerie campaigns. If there’s anyone to take bra advice from, it’s Graham; after all, with more than a decade sporting underwear for a living, what she doesn’t know about lingerie isn’t worth knowing.

Today we’re not just talking about any lingerie. After struggling to find great lingerie for herself, Graham approached Canadian plus size chain, Addition Elle about collaborating on a line of her own. Now you can get your hands on the range outside America for the first time through online plus size retailer, Navabi. ‘We cater to a larger breast, starting at a 36 DD, going up to a 44 Triple DD. In April we are going to have G’s and H’s which I’m so excited about because I had no idea, but that market is major,’ she says, taking me through her upcoming spring/summer collection. ‘It is really hard to find lingerie that’s both supportive and sexy. I’m a sexy girl who likes to wear see-through shirts with lace popping out, and I really wanted that in my size.’

Toned and curvy in the right places, Graham has become the poster girl for plus-size fashion but the first thing you notice on meeting her is her face. In the flesh, she’s even more beautiful than she appears in print – all chiselled cheekbones, bee-stung lips and tousled honey-coloured hair. And as someone who’s interviewed their fair share of top models, I can attest that that isn’t always the case.

 

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For those unfamiliar with the 27 year-old model, Graham is a pretty big deal. One of the highest paid plus size models out there, she is, from a high-fashion standpoint, one of the most highly sought after models in the business. She’s appeared in Harper’s Bazaar; US Glamour featured her alongside other big plus-size models like Lizzie Miller and Crystal Renn in an editorial called, ‘These Bodies are Beautiful At Every Size; US Vogue have featured her twice and she’s starred in campaigns for everyone from Marina Rinaldi to Levi’s. In fact, in 2010 a Lane Bryant TV commercial starring Graham in her underwear, got everyone talking after it was banned for being too sexy. ‘The first thing I thought of was

Victoria’s Secret commercials and how they’re just as racy if not more racy,’ Graham said at the time. ‘The models are just a lot smaller than I am.’ She fluctuates between a British size 18 and 20, which, considering that the average woman in Britain and America is a size 16, isn’t far from the norm. In the weight-obsessed modelling industry though, the plus size issue really is the elephant in the room. ‘I have been told throughout my career to lose weight; that I’m too pretty, too ugly and all these things. Now I don’t really give a crap. I’m just like this,’ she says, pointing at her body. ‘‘I’m not going to lose weight for you. I don’t care if you think I’m ugly, or if you book me or not,’ is what I say, and it’s working,’ she laughs.

 

I’m not going to lose weight for you. I don’t care if you think I’m ugly, book me or not,’ is what I say, and it’s working

 

It’s that no-bullshit attitude and unwavering confidence that has won Graham an army of fans and the fact that she’s managed to amass so many is all the more remarkable given that she’s done it her own digital-age way. She wasn’t championed early on by fashion photographers like Steven Meisel or Mario Testino. Miuccia Prada didn’t put her on the runway like she did with Malaika Firth; nor was she chosen to walk the Victoria’s Secret runway, which has proved the launching pad for the likes of Miranda Kerr and Adriana Lima.
Instead, Graham has worked her way up from a catalogue model to a fashion star with campaigns and editorials that don’t shy away from celebrating her body and – above all – she’s made use of social media.
‘She’s perfect’, says one commenter, tagging in a friend, in on one of her regular swimsuit shots on Instagram. ‘I love her because she has an attainable body and she’s real,’ another chimes in. ‘Thank you so much for loving your gorgeous body exactly the way it is and helping me do the same,’ says another.
Of course, like anyone with a vast following on Instagram, Graham is also a victim of trolling and abuse but those are few and far between in comparison to the messages of support and admiration from both men and women.

As for criticism of her figure, she just shrugs it off. ‘The thing is, I’m at such a place with my body that I’m not really going anywhere outside this US 14 or a US 16 [UK 18 or 20]. This is me; I’ve been this weight for the last six years so I’m not worrying about it,’ she says. ‘I have cellulite…it’s cellulite city back there but at least it’s at the back,’ she says laughing.

According to her best friend, she’s always been body confident. ‘I was her real estate broker, that’s how we met. She came into my office like miss Jessica Rabbit at 17 years old. Every guy in my office turned round with their jaws on the floor. She had these metallic platforms and she just exuded confidence. That’s the thing with her, she’s always been like that. ‘It’s not superficial; it’s not fake. She is beauty inside and out and she always exudes that.’

With so much pressure on women to fit an ideal of beauty, she must have being a victim of that at some stage, I ask? The short answer, is no.

‘My mother is curvy but she never complained about being a ‘big girl’ and was just happy with the body she was given. She never said, ‘I don’t like this or this.’ My whole life she told me, ‘you have to love who you are. You have an amazing personality, you have a great heart, just be who you are.’

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A year and a half ago she furthered her ambition to make other women feel the same way by setting up an organisation called ALDA with four other plus size models. As well as working with organisations like the UN, ALDA runs talks in schools encouraging body image acceptance.
In a bid to show that big doesn’t mean unhealthy, she even started running short fitness videos called Curvy Fit Club on Instagram and, after popular demand, she recently partnered up with Net-A-Porter to run the videos online.
Did she intend to become such a spokesperson for healthy body images, I ask? No, I just thought okay, I’m labelled a plus size model, whatever.

But then all of a sudden opportunities started coming to me and I was like, wait a second, I need to look at Cindy, I need to look at Hedi Klum and Tyra Banks and turn this into something,’ she enthuses. ‘I’m the eldest of three girls and my sisters have always looked up to me so my mum has always said, ‘be the voice of reason.’ So I’ve always felt like I have this responsibility generally.’

So where next for Graham? First starters, she wants to continue challenging people’s perceptions in fashion but more than anything she wants to expand her burgeoning lingerie line into a fully-fledged fashion brand. ‘It’s about being proactive. For me it’s a total business. Now, nothing intimidates me. I’m so confident, I feel I can take over the world.’

22nd January 2015
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