Photo by Jayme Aronson
Emma Medeiros is a fashion forward entrepreneur bridging the gap between straight size and plus size fashion. The industry’s size discrimination inspired her to create the first plus-sized PR firm in June 2015.
As the president of her Fashion Public Relations firm, her goal is to create equal opportunities. Medeiros only takes on clients who offer something truly unique such as the largest plus size consignment event in North America called Curvy Chic Closet, author Saundra MacKay, aspiring Big & Tall model and actor Kevin Wright and more.
Medeiros is a firm believer in her vision and feels its no reason to separated in fashion according to size. Check out more information on her platform with her interview below.
What exactly inspired you to begin your profession and when did you officially start? I launched Medeiros Fashion PR last summer when I realized that although the plus size fashion industry has been exploding in the last few years, there was still not a single PR firm that specialized in the plus size fashion industry. We can’t have that!
What has been the biggest highlight of your career so far and why? Marie Claire UK did an amazing interview with me and I was completely humbled and honored to be mentioned in such a prestigious publication.
How has your life changed since you began your journey and what are you expecting next? I have much more respect for other business owners; I never realized owning a business was so much work, especially before I had my amazing interns, Deb and Bridget!
I want to help my clients get as much exposure as I can, which will help not only their business but the entire plus size industry. I also hope to be living in NYC by the end of this year
What characteristics do you believe are important to have in order to be successful and why? Be willing to take a risk (while having a Plan B if it doesn’t work), learn to work smarter, not harder, and understand that, especially in the beginning, you will make many mistakes and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that as long as you learn from them. No one knows everything and I believe the smartest and most successful people are the ones who are humble enough to ask for help and challenge themselves to always keep learning.
For the young generation inspired by your achievements, what advice could you offer to those pursuing a career in the industry? Network, network, and then network some more. And then network even more! Whether it’s face to face, online, etc, you need to constantly be growing your network of contacts and nurturing your existing relationships.
Live your brand every second of your life. Whether you’re a publicist, model, designer, etc, you never know when or where you will meet someone who will take your business to the next level so always be put together and have business cards with you, even if you’re just running to the grocery store!
Always be professional, since professionalism is incredibly lacking in this industry, and live The Golden Rule; treat people the way you want to be treated. It’s such a simple concept and so many people simply can’t grasp it.
How did you feel you contribute to the world, and what message are you trying to perceive from your influence?
I truly try my hardest to live the advice I just mentioned, since words are just words until they’re put into action.
I also hope that people understand my message, since I’m often accused of “promoting obesity”. I want to be clear that I recognize that obesity is unhealthy and people who are obese should do what they can to get to a healthy weight. Having said that, I firmly believe that wearing clothes that make you feel fabulous, whatever size you are, will only help you achieve that goal. Positivity begets more positivity!
