Photography became another creative outlet for me. I’m self-taught, and much of the photography for my collections has been captured by me. I’ve always loved being behind the lens and watching an idea I imagined , the clothing, the setting, the woman, the mood , become a real image in front of me. Shooting outdoors has always felt especially natural to me, where movement, landscape, and Mother Nature can become part of the story.
Travel has shaped my work in much the same way. I remember visiting beautiful places and realizing I didn’t always have clothing that felt right for the destination, not because I didn’t want it, but because it simply wasn’t available in my size. Those experiences inspired collections influenced by places I’ve traveled, memories I’ve made, and destinations I still dream of seeing.
After finding community through the plus-size blogging world in the early 2010s, I launched Zelie For She in 2012 with the desire to create clothing for women who wanted individuality, romance, ease, adventure, and the freedom to express themselves.
Over the years, what means the most to me is knowing that thousands of women around the world have chosen to wear my designs. These clothes have become part of weddings, baby showers, birthdays, vacations, nights with girlfriends, celebrations, quiet moments, and memories I may never even know about.
I’ve also had the opportunity to create collections for Nordstrom for five seasons and dress women throughout television and film.Dreams I carried with me long before they became real. I’m especially grateful that my mother and father were here to witness so much of that journey.
Now, I find myself at another beginning , redirecting, creating, traveling, and dreaming about what comes next. There are new goals, new stories, and so much more of my life that I hope to share along the way.
ZELIE
My story is still being written.
I was born and raised in Rochester, New York, in a home filled with creativity, style, and individuality. My mother was an educator, my father worked in concert production, and both influenced the way I saw fashion from a young age. My father also gave me my middle name, Zelie, which would eventually become the name of my brand.
Growing up plus-size shaped my relationship with clothing early. After years of Catholic school uniforms, I was excited to finally express myself through fashion, only to realize how few options existed for girls who looked like me.
I had always loved working with fabric. Long before studying fashion, I was draping fabric on my cousin and her friends and creating dresses in the moment. That love of movement, volume, softness, and allowing fabric to fall naturally across the body still lives in my designs today.
Shortly after graduating high school, I moved across the country to Los Angeles without knowing anyone. I studied fashion at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College, where I learned garment construction and
pattern-making skills that remain at the heart of how I design.