LargeInCharge.com: What
is your name?
Curvy QT - Cynthia
Orozco and Yolanda Orozco
LargeInCharge.com: Where are you from and what is your current
location?
We both live and work in Santa Ana, California. It is located in
Southern California, close to Disneyland.
LargeInCharge.com: Do you consider yourself a BBW or a SSBBW?
We both consider ourselves to be BBWs. Regardless of our size, we
are all big beautiful women, and we shouldn’t have another label
added on to us.
LargeInCharge.com: Who is the owner of your company?
We are both joint owners of Curvy QT.
LargeInCharge.com: Tell us about your company.
We’re a clothing company that specializes in plus size clothing for
women.
LargeInCharge.com: How did your company begin?
Cynthia “Curvy QT was originally the idea of Yolanda, who a few
years ago thought about starting her own clothing business. She made
a few sketches of some clothing that she would love to see made in
bigger sizes. This original notebook was stored away for years
before making an appearance. She showed me this book and after doing
some research on the internet, I was really interested in joining
her and making this idea a reality.”
LargeInCharge.com: How did your company get its name?
Yolanda “I wanted a name that was cute, fun and conveyed femininity
and the body of a real woman. The media has continually bombarded us
with models, especially runway models, who are like walking boards;
too thin, flat, and no curves to the point of looking androgynous.
In the real world, a woman has curves. About 60% of the woman in the
whole world are a size 16 or larger, and its way past the time that
the mainstream media reflect our curvy bodies of all sizes. As
women, we all should be celebrated regardless of size.”
LargeInCharge.com: Does your company have a motto or slogan; and
what does it mean?
Curvy QT’s slogan is, “Where Sexy is a Vibe, Not a Size”. This
simple statement acknowledges the fact that you don’t have to be a
size 0 in order to be sexy. We help to make women feel sexy in our
clothing no matter what size they may be.
LargeInCharge.com: How long have you been in business?
We’re not yet a year old. Our grand opening was on April 20, 2009,
at the Fattitude Festival, held by the Los Angeles chapter of NAAFA.
We launched our website the following day.
LargeInCharge.com: Tell us about your clothing products?
We are trying to find and make clothing that is soft to the touch.
One of the material blends that we really like is a rayon and
polyester knit that feels so soft to the skin. The material keeps
you
covered in the winter and cool in the summer.
LargeInCharge.com: What made you decide to make Plus Sized Clothing?
Cynthia “I always hated shopping for clothes because it was very
hard for me to find something that was fashionable but that fit
right.”
Yolanda “Growing up fat and fabulous, wasn’t easy. I’m quite a few
years older than Cynthia, so I remember how hard it was to find
clothes as a kid. I’ve always been big. By the time I was 8, my mom
was already shopping in the women’s section for me. And by jr. high
and high school, we had found a department store specializing in
plus sizes, but the options were lacking. I had the choice of mumu
like clothes, unfashionable matronly looking clothes, and a lot of
black.”
LargeInCharge.com: Who designs the clothing you sell?
Cynthia “The main manufacturer that we work with has in house
designers, but we give suggestions on what we like and don’t like.
In the future, we plan on creating our own designs. We also carry
other labels such as Torrid, Fashion Bug, and Kiyona.”
Yolanda “Oh, and one manufacturer that we went and showed designs to
told us that ‘fat women won’t wear that’. The sketches were of tops
that had arms showing and cleavage. I looked at him and said, “I’m
fat. Look at what I’m wearing, and if I’m paying for the items to be
made, it doesn’t matter what you personally think. There are women
who do like tops that show arms and cleavage. ”
LargeInCharge.com: Are you currently looking for new designers?
Not at this moment. We would love to work with new designers when we
decide to also create our own designs.
LargeInCharge.com: What is the size range on your clothing and do
you custom?
Cynthia “We carry Junior Plus size clothing in sizes 1x through 3x,
and Women’s Plus size in sizes 1x through 6x. In the future, we plan
on manufacturing clothing up to 10x. When we start to design our own
line of clothing, we would gladly create fashions larger than 10x if
requested.”
Yolanda “I was at clothing trade shows recently, and this year was
much better than the previous. Manufacturers are slowly starting to
realize that women above a size Large don’t want God awful prints in
shapeless clothing. They’re also willing to work with us and make
clothes above a 3X, but it will cost more.”
LargeInCharge.com: Does your company do Fashion Shows, if so where?
Yes, Curvy QT does participate in fashion shows. We have
participated in Fashion Aid L.A., shows by One Chance Entertainment,
and the fashion show at the annual BBW Vegas Bash. The majority of
the fashion shows that we have participated in have been in Los
Angeles, but we also participated in a show by One Chance
Entertainment in Florida.
LargeInCharge.com: Do you have a website and a hardcopy catalog; how
do we obtain a hard copy catalog?
We currently just have our website, which is
www.curvyqt.com
LargeInCharge.com: Tell us about your latest fashions and any up &
coming products?
We are currently working on our spring and summer fashions. We have
several exciting products that we will be adding to our site. We’re
really excited to be creating and fostering relationships with other
talented and Curvy women.
LargeInCharge.com: Overall, What are your best sellers?
In 1x through 3x, Sweet and Sexy and Lady Guinevere have been our
best sellers. We have found that our Diva, Enchantment, and Tanya
tops have been very popular with sizes 4x through 6x. n our Junior
size, the most popular tops have been Bella, The Flirt, and the Peek
a Boo halter top.
LargeInCharge.com: Has your company or clothing ever been showcased
on Television or in Print?
Not quite yet. We have been asked by scouts from a reality show if
we’d like our clothing featured on their program. We have also had
our pictures taken for a locally run Spanish magazine.
LargeInCharge.com: Do you feel the fashion industry is doing a good
job providing quality clothing for Big Women?
Cynthia “Not at all. That is why we decided to start CurvyQT. Our
goal is to provide affordable, plus size clothing that is
fashionable. We want to provide our customers with trendy clothing
that will have others asking where they purchased their clothing
from.”
Yolanda “The fashion industry as a whole has not done a good job.
It’s taking the work of companies that have started small to break
through with contemporary designs. It’s going to take us all working
together on some level to bring quality clothing to not only women
who are 1X-3X, but also to the women who are larger. It will also
take the active voices of larger women, as well as their pocket
books to prove that women will buy clothing if made well to fit in
sizes 4X and above. A company recently blogged that they will no
longer carry clothing over a 3X because women who said, “If that was
made in my size, I’d buy it”, and I guess they didn’t buy it. I
don’t know what the items were or what the measurements were. I do
know with the larger sizes there are some additional factors in
clothing fit, such as belly coverage. So ladies, if you find
something you like and the measurements fit what you want, please
support those companies.
LargeInCharge.com: What are the ordering options that customers
have?
Customers can order online and pay through our online store.
You don’t have to have a paypal account to pay. They can
also contact us via our website with any questions at
info@curvyqt.com or by
calling us at 310-945-6082.
LargeInCharge.com: How long does it take for a purchase to be
received?
Cynthia “It generally takes from 5 to 7 business days, depending on
whether or not the item is currently in stock. We have had several
orders from Canada. Since that is considered international, it may
take a little longer.”
Yolanda “We’ve also networked with ladies who are small companies
with really cute and funky fashions that are willing to make their
clothing for us in any size on an order by order basis. This means
it will cost the customer a little more, but they’ll have something
that is really cute and one of a kind made to fit them. Those orders
will take longer, and we’d let the customer know approximately how
long it would be.”
LargeInCharge.com: What are your refund options?
We only issue size exchanges or store credit on items that show no
signs of wear or misuse. Items are inspected for flaws prior to
being shipped from our inventory. Shipping and handling charges are
nonrefundable. Shipping on return merchandise is the responsibility
of the buyer.
The item to be exchanged must be in new and unused condition. We do
not accept garments that have been worn or misused i.e. stains,
burns, etc. or have smoke, detergent, perfume, deodorant or pet
odors.
Exchanges can take up to 2 weeks to process. However it is unlikely
that this will happen unless the size is unavailable. We will make
every effort to make the exchange process go smoothly and quickly.
We cannot credit or exchange merchandise that is not received, so we
recommend that customers insure their package (postage and insurance
fees are nonrefundable)
Clearance items are final sales and may not be returned or
exchanged.
LargeInCharge.com: How do you find your models?
We originally used MySpace and placed several bulletins asking for
women of any size that were interested in modeling for CurvyQT.
Since that time, we have used several of those same models
repeatedly whether it be modeling for our website, or modeling in
fashion shows. We are open to looking for new models as well.
LargeInCharge.com: How can someone apply to be a model for your
website or catalog?
If someone is interested in modeling for CurvyQT, then can send an
email to info@curvyqt.com
LargeInCharge.com: What qualifications do you look for when choosing
a model?
A positive and fun attitude first and foremost! The applicant should
provide us with their name, phone number, clothing sizes, and
specific days when they may be available. We would try to conduct
photo shoots when the applicant would have some free time. We have
no control over the fashion shows that we participate in. We choose
those particular models based on their schedule.
LargeInCharge.com: Who does the photography on your website?
So far, we have done the photography ourselves. We soon will be
revamping our website and have professional photographers take the
pictures.
They will also be credited on our website.
LargeInCharge.com: Did you construct the website with the release of
your clothing line or did it come after?
Cynthia “We constructed the website months before our grand opening.
Yolanda actually bought the website years ago when she was first
dreaming of a clothing company. It sat as a holding page until we
started to work on it.”
LargeInCharge.com: Was the site an automatic success or did it take
time to kick off?
As with any new business, it takes some time to be a success. We
have been taking business classes through the Institute of Women
Entrepreneurs and the National Latina Business Women’s Association
to better understand how to run our business. As we apply what we’ve
learned, we’ve seen a huge jump in traffic to our site. Word of
mouth and the fashion shows have also helped.
LargeInCharge.com: Name some designers and companies you admire?
Yolanda “I admire Torrid for being the first to go mainstream with
young, funky clothing. I also admire the Baby Phat and House of
Dereon lines, but wish they’d make the clothes in larger sizes.
LargeInCharge.com: What are the most important elements to running a
successful Online Clothing Company…..quality; comfort…..what is
important/what is not?
The material we prefer to sell is a combination of polyester and
rayon. This fabric is very light and feels wonderful. It lets the
body breathe. We try to list as much information as possible
regarding the particular item. It is important to have models of all
sizes so potential customers can see exactly how the clothing would
fit, versus the clothing being modeled on a mannequin.
LargeInCharge.com: Do you feel clothing options for people of size
have made progress in the last 10 years, do you think the internet
is part of that progress?
Yes, but slowly. It was very hard to find trendy, plus size clothing
10 years ago. The internet has helped the progress because now
people all over the world are able to purchase clothing that they
normally would not have been able to purchase in their town. We have
had customer from all over the United States and Canada.
LargeInCharge.com: How has the internet helped your business?
CurvyQT is only available online. We have utilized the internet to
put our name out there. We rely on word of mouth and repeat
customers.
LargeInCharge.com: What can the readers at LargeInCharge do to help
support your business?
The LargeInCharge readers can help us by visiting our website at
www.curvyqt.com
and give us their opinion. We want to know what they like and what
they don’t like. Another way would be by telling all of their
friends and family about CurvyQT. We know that right now it’s a
tough economy. That’s why we offer a special layaway program. You
can still get the fashions you want when you see them without
breaking your budget.
You’re readers can also
use the Code
RAQUI9 to get
$10 off of their $50 or more purchase.
