Maria, The Fat Section, Wollongong

Today we are introducing you to Maria, the fashionista from Wollongong NSW who is spreading body positivity with her stylish, plus-sized and preloved clothing business.

As a plus-sized woman herself, Maria noticed that there were less of the latest fashion trends available for curvy women, and little market for reliable second-hand clothing. The Fat Section opened in June 2021 and is a uniquely plus-sized clothing, footwear and accessories brand that gives pre-loved fashion a second chance. Maria has learnt to be comfortable in front of a camera to model the clothes and promote them on Instagram. As a result, her followers and sales are rapidly increasing. She has been working with her local Many Rivers business coach Shelley who is based in Wollongong, and also remotely working with the Dubbo-based business coach for extra marketing support.

“I had some ground knowledge [about business], but I have found her to be an incredible person to talk about ideas to and point me in the right direction and she has been an incredible support. Shelley is a pleasure to work with!”

Read her journey to date.

Meet Maria

I have always been plus-sized and curvy, and when I was a young girl in high school, it was hard to find nice clothes my size. Aside from selling clothes, I feel like the more we hear these words such as fat, curvy and plus-sized fashion, the less sensitive and offensive they will become. This will make us stop associating it with something we need to hide from or feel ashamed about.

I launched The Fat Section on the 22^nd of February, but I have been working on it since June 2021.

I am still working – I do business to business sales to earn a little bit of cash to look after my kids and for my handbag fund. It is flexible work, so it works well with my business and with my kids. Before that, I was working in a bank. I have never worked in fashion before. I have always seemed to jump in the deep end of a job and work it out as I go.

Starting The Fat Section

We are a plus size clothing, footwear and accessories brand that gives pre-loved fashion a second chance. We are unique because we sell exclusively plus-sized items. There is only one other business that is based in WA who do this. As a larger woman, I have found that the fashion that is available to us has always been a bit limited. Most items are ‘frumpy’ and have no shape because designers think that when you are fat, you won’t want tight clothing. That is not always the case these days. Designers are stepping up, but there is still a long way to go. The Fat Section tries to offer a good range of different styles. I like to dress nicely, and so I try to keep an eye out for things I like.

I have always felt that I was destined to own my own business. I love clothes and fashion, and I had so many clothes that I wanted to get rid of myself, and I realised there wasn’t really a way to sell them reliably. Why not use the clothes that are already in circulation and give them a second life before they go to land-fill? In the past, I have found that it is trickier for plus size women to find second hand-clothes.

Working with Many Rivers

It was a business advisor from Southern Region Business Enterprise Centre who mentioned Many Rivers from a conference they attended. It was around September 2021 that I contacted Many Rivers.

Shelley, my Many Rivers business coach, is there for me to bounce ideas off; she has also helped me secure a Many Rivers loan. There isn’t a particular service that stood out; it’s just that she has been there along the way to mentor me and listen. She helped me with cashflow and has referred me on to another business coach at Many Rivers in Dubbo, Danny, and we have had a few chats about marketing and social media. I had some ground knowledge, but I have found her to be an incredible person to talk about ideas to and point me in the right direction, and she has been an incredible support. Shelley is a pleasure to work with!

The funding was definitely the most useful part! Being a new business, it is hard to get support in the early stages. Many Rivers really made that happen for me, and I wouldn’t be able to have as much stock as I do without it. I wouldn’t have had as much freedom, and I would be dipping into my own income a lot more.

 I got a loanfor stock, packaging, equipment such as shipping label printers, and filming equipment for my social media advertising.

Biggest Challenge

The biggest challenge was last week. I permanently and accidentally deleted over 220 stock photos that I have been taking slowly since I started. I realised that afternoon and rushed down to my warehouse and spent 2 hours retaking my photos. Because it is all second-hand, I must take photos of every single photo and I am the model. It was a lot of work.

One of my other challenges was putting myself out there on the platform. Instagram is my sales platform, and this was all new to me. I am slowly getting more confident with it, and my followers are increasing.

Biggest Success

My sales and social media following are starting to pick up as momentum picks up. I was featured in the Illawarra Mercury too.

I am proud that I have stepped out of my comfort zone and that my social media content is being received well.

Future Goals

I would like to start making my own clothes and recycle something old and make it into something new. Maybe I would like to have a storefront if it became financially feasible.

Thanks Maria

Thanks Maria for sharing your business journey. Your story will inspire people who are looking to take their next step towards creating their own business. If you would like to stay updated with Maria and her journey as a small business owner, follow The Fat Section on Facebook or Instagram.

Are You Ready To Start Your Own Business?

Do you have a passion or small business idea? Do you have a business you would like to expand? Would you like some business coaching support? We’re here to help.

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