Ashley Nell Tipton

I'm talented, I know what I want, and I believe in myself, and I'm true to myself. ”

Torrid was that company that I went to as a plus-sized kid. They're the ones that kind of got me out of my shell and gave me the confidence that I needed to experiment with my wardrobe, and they really inspired me to become a plus-size designer. ”

I'm super excited to be collaborating with JCPenney to create my first-ever capsule collection for that plus-size woman who needs that confidence and wants to be fabulous every day. ”

Beauty and fashion is not pain! ”

I was seven years old when my grandmother stated teaching me to sew, and she always encouraged me to be creative. ”

I feel like, sometimes, plus-size women get scared to show skin... but summer is the time that we can enjoy doing that. ”

I had a hard time with bullying in school, so being creative was my outlet. ”

Being dyslexic, creativity was my way of expressing myself. ”

I think the hardest thing is to design for plus-size women. I enjoyed designing for straight-size because there's no limits. They can basically wear anything, and that's where I was able to have creative freedom with it. ”

I'm not trying to get approval from anyone else. No one's approval matters to me - what matters is making myself happy for myself and no one else. And if I look good to someone else, I hope they take me as inspiration or whatever they want. ”