PRESENTER and host Louise McSharry said it was a struggle to dress like a plus-size woman – and that “fashion should be for everyone”.
Louise warns that “most stores don’t carry plus sizes” and urges designers to make collections more inclusive for plus-size people.
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She told the Irish Sun: “I think it’s interesting when I talk a lot about sustainable fashion because it’s a very different kind of perspective when you’re plus size.
“Vintage clothes and pre-loved clothes hardly exist or very rarely exist. If you go to a vintage store, you won’t find anything in my size.
The cancer survivor has previously campaigned for people to change their attitude towards obesity, saying obese people “are not a problem that needs to be solved”.
She continued: “With a lot of sustainable brands it’s getting better, but a lot of them only go over a certain size, so it’s a lot harder to dress fully sustainably when you’re a person of plus size.”
Nominated for a Sustainable Fashion Award at the 2022 Platinum VIP Style Awards, Louise feels blessed to have connections with designers who can help her — something the average plus-size person wouldn’t.
She said: “I have relationships with designers and I ask them if they want to work with me, which for someone who is a plus size is a big deal because a lot of things have to be specially designed for me. . A lot of people’s collections just aren’t inclusive.”
But Louise feels privileged to have relationships with designers she can collaborate with for special events.
Every year we throw away or incinerate around 70 billion pieces of clothing, or 250,000 tonnes in Ireland alone.
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Louise reveals one of the key steps to living sustainably as a plus size woman wearing items “again and again”.
The mother-of-two said: “So it’s really about choosing carefully, picking things that you really like and wearing them a lot. Which is a key part of sustainability.
“Besides spending in certain places, it’s how you use your clothes and how you like your clothes and how you wear them.”
The 40 year old instagram is full of fashion finds, including swimsuits made from “recycled waste” and old favorites that she loves to wear again.
She gives tips on buying plus size items and what it’s like to buy a size 22-24.
Louise said, “I guess that’s what I mean. Trying to encourage people to do what they can, because it’s not necessarily acceptable for everyone to try to dress fully sustainably all the time.
As she helps others with their fashion finds, Louise warns the internet can be a ‘good and bad’ thing.
The Dubliner said: “I think the internet is great for people who are committed to dressing sustainably, they can access a lot of different things.”
But it encourages people to buy “with the click of a button”, fueling the fast fashion industry.
The presenter revealed that she sources much of her sustainable fashion from the United States.
She explained, “I wouldn’t have been able to access these brands without internet access, but I think the internet has a very negative impact in terms of fast fashion, like how much clothing we can access.”
The broadcaster says she wants to help others like her.
Louise said: “I guess it really comes down to changing our behavior and trying to do a little bit better.”
She added, “I’m still like you see a taller person and a nice outfit, just know they had to work really hard for this and they all deserve the kudos.”
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