Inspired by summers enjoying the sweet life in Barbados, Monif was awed by her grandmother's love of color. This early inspration set the stage for this talented young designer making her mark with stylish fashions and daring designs that flatter the curvy figure.

Join me as we get personal
with Monif Clarke --

[Valery] Tell us a bit about your Diva selves –- what you each do at Monif C., and how you got started in this business.

[Monif] I manage the design and brand direction of the company while Elaine takes care of back-office operations including inventory management and production.  It works great for both of us because I like to meet the people and develop big picture ideas while she likes to stay in the background.

Before developing Monif C., we had a great business selling clothing on Ebay.  After a year of selling, we were awarded the prestigious Success in Small Business award from the New Jersey Small Business Development Centers.  We decided that we wanted to expand our business and knew it was time to look into our passion of designing clothing. 

(Maddy Figueroa and Monif Clark looking over the
latest fall fashions at a recent press event)

I took some time off and decided to travel around Europe, seeing the couture collections, shopping for beautiful fabrics, and my design ideas started to sprout.  It wasn’t until I got home and did some research that I found out that this business is pretty tough and it takes a lot of persistence to bring a collection to fruition.  We were lucky because many people in the plus size and “straight” size arena saw our vision and the passion that we had for contemporary plus size fashion, and decided to take us under their wing and show us the ropes. 

[Valery] How did you take your passions from concept to reality?

[Monif] The first step in designing a collection is figuring out what fabrics you want to use.  That means going to fabric shows and calling suppliers to see what is available.  Most people think you design first, but you have to look for fabrics first because there is nothing worse than having a great design and not being able to find a fabric that fits that design.  Then we sketch out design ideas.  We started the Fall/Holiday collections with about 30 designs that are then narrowed down by choosing only the best designs that flatter a curvy figure.  We then work on our patterns.  Once a sample is sewed from these patterns, we bring in the fit model to try the design.  We may decide to alter a style, take in the sides for a more fitted look, or ditch the style all together if it isn’t up to our standards.  Once we go through that process for each style, which can mean about 3 pattern/sample changes per style, we finalize the patterns/samples and begin to sell the line to boutiques and department stores.  Once those orders are placed, we go into production where the clothing is made.  Currently, everything is made in the Garment District in New York.  That allows us to use premium fabrics and facilities as opposed to manufacturing overseas. 

[Valery] What sets Monif C. apart from the curvy fashion crowd?

[Monif] Monif C. first and foremost is a contemporary, designer collection.  We say that we design high fashion that happens to be for the plus size woman, and not necessarily “traditional” plus size fashion.  A well-known stylist told me the other day that she loves that we don’t just take the latest trend and make it bigger, but rather we make our own trends and design sexy contemporary clothing with curvy shapes in mind.  Our clothing is not cut in a box, everything is curve-conscious, even our blouses are cut on bias with darts and curved seams.  Our clothes create beautiful curves that you didn’t even realize you had. 

All of our clothing is made out of stretch fabrics and is bra-friendly.  Stretch fabrics are not appreciated like they should be in the plus size industry because when people think of stretch, they think cheap fabrics.  On the contrary, we use great rayon jersey that creates a drape that is out of this world.  All of our silks are stretch silks or are cut on bias to provide enough give for all curvy body types.  This is actually a big pet peeve of mine because I am very busty, and most tops or dresses without stretch are never cut big enough for my bust.  I am a size 18 and I usually have to buy a size 22 just for my bust, but then the rest of my body looks like a tent.  That doesn’t happen with Monif C. clothing.  This is also in line with our policy of designing bra-friendly clothing.  Again, as a busty woman, I know that I can’t wear halter tops, tube tops, spaghetti straps, so I have found innovative ways, like our “Shelly” top to provide sexy styling that all women can wear. 

[Valery] What did it take you to get ready for your launch?

[Monif] Wow!  A LOT! The easy part is designing because that comes naturally to me.  Once the design is done, the real work happens.  We had to sell the line to boutiques and department stores and start to generate buzz.  The hardest part of what we are doing in the plus size market is that we are trying to bring sexy, contemporary style to a market that mainstream retailers have said doesn’t want it.  What that means for us is that not only do we have to design beautiful clothing, but we need to get the word out to women who want the clothing.  It is not easy competing in a market that is dominated by mass market brands, but we are doing it!  The biggest chunk of my time getting ready for the launch is spent promoting the brand.  That includes website development, press releases and press kit to the media outlets, phone calls on top of phone calls, putting together special events for our customers and the plus size industry, and networking at different events. 

[Valery] How many people were involved in the process?

[Monif] This is entirely a family run business.  My mother and I are the principal owners, but my sister, father, and brother all contribute whether it is packing inventory, filling orders, attending sales meetings, or answering e-mails.  In addition, we work with a great production team that translates my designs into patterns, samples, and ultimately the clothing.

[Valery] How many pieces are in your current line?

[Monif] We are debuting eight pieces for Fall/Holiday 2005.  The Fall collection is called the “Brown Sugar” Collection.  The silhouettes remind me of Jessica Rabbit from “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” – complete sex kitten.  We named it the Brown Sugar Collection because brown sugar is rich and versatile, like our clothing.  Also, given the Caribbean influences on this collection, it was nice to name the collection after one of the major imports out of my families’ native country, Barbados.  The Holiday collection is the “Glitter Bay” Collection which again is a reference to Barbados.  When I think of Glitter Bay, I think of rich purples, blues, twinkling water, and moonlight.  These references are synonymous with our holiday collection which is so on trend with the jewel tones that we will see this holiday.