Ashley Graham created her own swimwear line because she couldn't find "sexy" and "supportive" bikinis in her size.
Ashley Graham
The 31-year-old model has insisted that she chose to design her own ranges of inclusive swimwear and lingerie - named Swimsuits For All and Addition Elle respectively - because "nobody wanted to make them" for her "curvy" body.
Speaking to Vogue Australia, Graham said: "There's still is such a lack of diversity on the runway and the luxury market.
"I didn't have sexy, supportive lingerie that I could find for my size. And same goes with bikinis, I wanted little tiny string bikinis and nobody wanted to make them for my curvy-ass body, so I did it!
"I think what it does is it opens up the eyes to designers also and says, 'oh wow, if she's making these clothes, lingerie, and swim and they're selling out, then what does that mean?' Well it means that the curve industry is a multi-billion dollar industry and that more people should get involved."
The brunette beauty also insisted that she "appreciates" high-end designers who create pieces for women of all "shapes and sizes", and feel "honoured" to be part of a movement that advocates "celebrating" your curves.
She added: "I love and appreciate so much people like Prabal [Gurung], Michael [Kors], Christian [Siriano], you know, they have really committed to designing for women and representing women of all shapes, sizes, ethnicity, and ages.
"It's an honour to work with some of these designers on custom looks that celebrate my curves and it's so fun to be able to go into the design teams and have these raw, natural conversations with them and talk about what I want to accentuate and what fabrics I would like to wear.
"The designers who have dressed me have been really passionate about it and they're passionate about what it means to dress a woman with curves. And I think that we need more designers like that, that are not just taking a chance but believing in the diversity of women."
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