Robyn Lawley made her mark as a trailblazer in the plus-size modeling world, and now the 24-year-old Australian native is turning her attention to swimsuits.
Lawley partnered with Bond-Eye Australia to launch a bikini line in the United States for sizes 8 to 18. Lawley said she was tired of the “boring and unflattering” options that are normally available at those sizes, and wanted to come up with her own instead.
“For this first collection, I decided to start in a size range that 80 percent of women live between,” Lawley said. “We will add sizing according to the feedback we receive and we are really hoping the demand is there.”
So far, the bikini line has been getting praise from fashion experts.
“The one-piece and two-piece suits have powermesh lining for tummy control, and many feature adjustable, supportive straps from added comfort up top,” wrote Victoria Taylor, New York Daily News fashion correspondent. “Best of all, they have bright, colorful patterns.”
Madison Plus Select CEO Aimee Cheshire said the swimsuit line fills an important need for plus-size women.
“It’s good fashion that everyone wants to buy, and that is what we are desperately in need of in our industry,” she told the New York Daily News about the fashion industry.
Robyn Lawley became a trailblazer last year when she became the first plus-size model in Ralph Lauren’s history . The 24-year-old had already graced the covers of French Elle and Vogue Italia last year when she was named Ralph Lauren’s covergirl.
Because of Lawley’s strides, other plus-sized models have been able to break into the industry, fashion experts say.
“Robyn is absolutely paving the way for fuller figured women to land these larger campaigns,” People magazine’s senior writer Jen Garcia said.
Lawley said she once struggled in the industry, trying and failing to keep up with the demand to stay skinny. Eventually she became so jaded that she left modeling, moved to France and “fell in love with food again.” When she returned home, she saw that plus-size models were become more and more accepted.
More pictures of Robyn Lawley and her swimsuit line can be found here . The swimsuit line is now available for pre-order at the Madison Plus Select website, and will be in stores at the end of August.
