Beth Ditto wanted to turn Miss Piggy into a "powerful" fashion symbol.
Beth Ditto
The Gossip star - who debuts her own collection for women size 14 - 30 at London Fashion Week - had an idea to emblazon the image of the blonde curvaceous Muppets star onto a range of T-shirts when she worked on her first line for plus-size fashion brand Evans.
However, the high-street retailer rejected the proposal because they took the view that youngsters would feel "self-conscious" when wearing the tops, although the singer was sure it could empower kids to take control of their image.
Beth explained: "It was really fun working with Evans, but there were a lot of things I want to do, like a Miss Piggy shirt, but they said, 'Little kids will get the wrong idea and feel self-conscious.' I liked the idea of putting her on a T-shirt and for it to be a powerful thing, not an insult.
"It's frustrating because the market is very apologetic; there's still so much shame involved. This idea that you're bigger, but you're not supposed to be: I want this to be positive."
After their advice the singer-turned-designer put the idea on hold, but has nonetheless produced a collection that is full of vibrant colours and geometric prints.
Her range includes chic classics: shift dresses with ruching to cinch in the waist; a loose but glamorous V-neck black evening dress and more dressed down simple scoop-neck T- shirts in pastel pinks and neatly tailored black pencil skirts, as well as dramatic flowing jumpsuits and draped tops, plus, a range of leggings with lipstick kiss motifs printed across them.
Speaking of the range, Beth told The Daily Telegraph newspaper: "Staples are something I think a lot of average-sized women take for granted but are really hard to find for curvy women. We're trying to offer something dependable as well as the loud and brasher pieces... It's hard to find something between the two."
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