[MW] How have you been focusing on fit for the growing plus-size mommy figure?

[BB] We really focus on getting material that will stretch and grow with our customer throughout her pregnancy.  We want her wearing our comfortable clothing in all nine months – not simply in the home stretch.  We concentrate on rayon/Lycra and poly/Lycra blends that tend to be soft and stretchy.

I think my main disappointment in the regular plus industry is that they do not fit the basic bone structure of many women.  Just because you grow a bit in the belly area does not mean your shoulders are growing as well!  With our line, we work from the size you are before pregnancy and give your belly room to grow.

My uphill battle for the last several years has been basic education about the plus customer to many boutique owners...

Boutiques have to advertise for the plus woman in order for them to come in.  And boutique owners have to carry the correct sizes for plus women, not just an XL from the straight size line (which typically ends up being a size 12-14 at best.)  It’s not that we aren’t out here!

It’s that plus maternity is not offered readily in maternity boutiques across America.

[MW] What were the challenges in getting the line out into the stores? What wisdom can you share about the process?

[BB] I’ve learned that I’m so much stronger than I realized...

I had to find reps that believed in what I was trying to accomplish. That was my first step. One woman in New York laughed at my idea in a phone meeting.  She thought that being plus size and being pregnant was exactly the same thing as far as fit.  Who would buy plus maternity? I have taken major beatings in creating this line and running this company.

But I somehow always get back to my vision.  My biggest joke to family and friends is that I have quit at least 12 times in the last several years!

» Continued on the Next Page