STYLE FEATURE
Breaking THE BAR RIERS
Winner of Fashion Week San Diego Opens up About Life as a Plus Size Designer
WRITTEN BY: JILLI JOFFE PHOTOGRAPHED BY: CHRISTINA SHOOK CREATIVE DIRECTOR: BRIANNA WELTZIEN DESIGNER: SHARLENE BORROMEO MODELS: TATIANA SLEPOVA & SUMMER NICOLE MAKE UP & HAIR BY: TERRELL MITCHELL, KAT DIAZ & CHEYENNE HETTICH of Bellus Academy
For the past three years,
Sharlene Borromeo, owner and designer of A’doreus Fashion, and the winner of Fashion Week San Diego 2014, has been the only plus size designer to participate and apply to be in this event. But that doesn’t phase Borromeo one bit—it was this very lack of plus size representation in the fashion market that prompted her to become a designer in the first place. Recognizing that this market just wasn’t being catered to, she decided to take matters into her own hands, going back to school to learn how to become the plus size designer she had originally set out to help. It was at Fashion Week San Diego that Sharlene really jumpstarted her career as an independent designer, with the launch of her plus size line for women, A’doreus, back in 2012. It was FWSD’s willingness to accept her line for what it was, regardless of who would be wearing it, which really gave her the platform to be a plus size designer. Three years later, perseverance and a belief in her designs finally paid off. Inspired by her incredible passion, talent, and dedication, the audience voted her Top Designer of FWSD 2014, proving that while she may not have always seen herself as a designer, she was born to design! Through Fashion Week San Diego, Sharlene has given a face and a voice to plus size fashion, proving to all of her detractors that there is an important need in the market for her designs. And, what’s more, is that there is a thriving fashion scene right here in San Diego.
| MARCH 2015 | 115