Nina Parker, a host for E! News and a fashion enthusiast, is making history as the first Black woman to have her own plus-size clothing line sold at Macy's. It's called the Nina Parker Collection and is the department store's first-ever Black-owned clothing line made specifically for plus-sized women.Parker created the line after years of searching fashionable pieces from the limited choices of clothes for full-figured women like her.
"My stylist and I were trying to find stuff off of the rack and it just wasn't comparable to my counterparts," Nina told E! News. "It felt really unfair, like, 'Yes, I am bigger than them, but does that mean I don't matter as much because my waist is bigger?'"
That's when the Nightly Pop host started designing her own outfits, such as her gowns in the Oscars Awards in 2020 and the Golden Globes Awards in 2021. Now, she is creating her own clothing line, which will be exclusively available at Macy's physical stores and website.
"I was tired of trying to make things work," she said. "I was tired of trying to make a square a peg fit into a circle. So, I was like, 'Let me create my own circle.'"
The Nina Parker Collection will initially feature 17 outfits that aim to celebrate every woman's curves and personality. It will include tank tops, dresses, and denim wear from sizes 16W to 24W that are designed to help women become more confident with their bodies.
"I want them to feel like they matter like they are a bad b*tch," she said. "I want them to feel bossy like they can walk in a room, and everybody will take notice."
More than that, Parker is very particular about where the collection will be displayed. She makes sure customers will be able to notice it right away and not placed in a corner at the back of the women's department wherein "you feel like you're getting a drug deal. It's like, 'Why do we have to feel like we're being alienated because of our size?'"
Follow Nina Parker on Instagram @mzgossipgirl