Ditch the measuring tape and be 'Unafraid' of your body type!

I wanted to encourage women to accept and love themselves the way they are without being afraid of the measuring tape," says designer Sonal Agrawal who recently launched her label House of PinkPepperCorn, catering to women of all sizes.

The blogger-turned-designer speaks about her brand, the plus size market, sustainability and more.

Excerpts:

What is your brand all about?

It is a slow fashion label, started with the vision to create ethical, thoughtful and thought-provoking pieces of clothing, that stand out by making a statement, and are yet very inclusive and wearable by everyone. Our designs portray sensitive topics which aren't spoken about.

Why did you think of serving the plus size market?

In India today, standards of beauty are being defined by the perfectly retouched and reshaped bodies that we see on Instagram.

Through my brand, I wanted to encourage women to accept and love themselves the way they are without being afraid of the measuring tape. My brand is not only about plus size women, it caters to every size -- right from xxs to plus sizes.

What challenges do you face while catering to the plus size market?

Not everyone is open to wearing designs of all sorts. Every woman believes that she has her own problem areas and all bodies are very different. Hence, one of the biggest challenges I face as a designer is to create ready to wear clothing that suits everybody type.

Do you think there's a change that the market has seen when it comes to being inclusive?

There is definitely a change in the mindset... It's still at a nascent stage... But it's happening. People now, don't just want to see fashion on the ramp or in Bollywood.

They want to see it the same stuff on the streets and they want to be able to wear it - no matter their age, gender or body type.

In India, there's been an amazingly positive growth in this space. With Lakme Fashion Week introducing the entire sustainabe and 'Make Fashion Good' initiative, one of the key things that's being addressed by several designers is inclusivity.

Tell us about your collection 'Unafraid'?

Unafraid stands to encourage body positivity and to make a statement that we wear our measurements with pride. However, I don't want to be seen as an altruistic, flag bearing social worker... Because I am not that.

I like my fashion, vanity and glamour too. Hence even in my version of sustainable fashion and sustainability, I keep the style quotient very high and maintain a balance.

The most noticeable detail in this collection is the measuring tape. I have used actual, high quality measuring tapes as a signature to highlight my philosophy of body positivity.

The fabrics are all 100 per cent pure linen in unique colours.