Business
Profile: Angela Samuels – founder and CEO Voluptous Clothing
Angela Samuels – founder and CEO Voluptuous Clothing
Angela Samuels is the Founder and CEO of the Toronto based retail chain Voluptuous Clothing, a store that caters to women sizes 14 to 24.
Ms. Samuels launched the company in 1998 at the age of 23.
As Toronto’s top plus-size runway and catalog model, Samuels knew the fashion industry catered to her thinner counterparts. This was obvious in the clothes designed for skinny women, which were glamorous, fitted and stylish, while the fashions for larger ladies were conservative, baggy and unflattering. As a full-figure female, Samuels knew she was sexy, too, and began to consider how she could change the landscape.
Samuels opened her first retail store in 2000/2001, at present Voluptous Clothing has 5 retail stores, and more will be opened in the near future.
Although Voluptuous Clothing is now a retail success story, Samuels, faced a series of daunting hurdles to open the first store in 2000/2001. Convincing the industry that plus-sized women want fashionable, sexy clothing in their own sizes was initially a tough sell.
In addition to her modeling career, Samuels has a degree in child and youth care, which she applied to her work with juvenile offenders.
During this time, Samuels noticed how much the larger girls’ self-esteem was tied to their appearance. It occurred to her that these girls couldn’t feel better about themselves if they were constantly faced with styles and messages that didn’t reflect what they saw in the mirror. Coupled with her experience in the slim-obsessed fashion world, Samuels was even more determined to empower women with the self-esteem they needed, thereby improving their potential for success.
Samuels, grew up as one of six kids in the rough Toronto neighborhood of Jane and Finch, was ready for the challenges of being in retail as well as pioneering a business idea in an underserved niche.
Her plans were met with skeptics, who thought she was crazy and didn’t think that full-figured women should be in miniskirts and form-fitting tops.
To finance Voluptuous Clothing, Samuels used her house as collateral to secure a loan, as well as financial support from her mother and sister. Samuels chose the name Voluptuous for her company because she wanted something that conveyed a positive outlook and sexy attitude.
Ms. Samuels is self taught. “I learned everything on the job. I took a few business courses to understand the basics. Everything I needed to do, I learned about it. How to start a company? I took a course. How to manage employees and merchandise clothes? I read a book. I’m completely self-taught.”
“Within my staff are women who fit into my market and fit into my clothing. I try to change those employees’ perceptions of how they see themselves. I also show them how to give back. I teach those women to take their life experiences, and what they learn at Voluptuous Clothing, and change the lives of others.”