I have recently had custom swimming togs and several clothes made for me by local sewists, and I didn't want to sell their hard work short by not having them photographed properly - plus, I am making some big changes in my life, so this was a great time to take a second and celebrate.

My weight has fluctuated over the years, with all kinds of causes - medication, mental illness, sports injuries, and simple lack of time getting in the way of permanent progress. These are all reasons - I have the choice whether or not to also use them as excuses.

A comparatively long time ago, in the scale of "the life of Copper Catkin", I decided that I wanted to give big people a better selection of work apparel. Those who present male can generally find something suitable, but for women? Ugh. It's really hard to find something that isn't just a sack made of discount fabric, because we are more expensive, and more complicated, to cover.

I wanted to join the movement that empowered people to feel great about themselves, by wearing things that boosted their mood, regardless of their size, and I started to investigate plus-size clothing - that's how I started designing all these fabrics!

There's no way around it. Shopping as a big girl is an exercise in depression management.

​Finding decent swimming togs is hard, in general, and finding nice togs that flatter, fit, and still allow you to actually swim? The STRUGGLE. Add in being a larger person, and it becomes a complete nightmare. 
So I decided to find someone who could make me the perfect pair of togs, using my own fabric designs.
That's how I came across Swanwear again - in October last year - at the Underground Markets. I had seen the stall before, but just assumed it wasn't going to have anything that fit. It's a protective mechanism - if I assume nothing will fit, I won't be hurt when yet another place considers a NZ size 14 "plus size". And I am NOT a size 14.
I had a quick chat with Annemiek, and she said that she could help, and then, things being busy and money being tight, it went on the backburner for a few months, as tends to happen with our personal projects at Copper Catkin HQ.