2018 has been an amazing year for plus size fashion. We have seen a myriad of new clothing lines and we’ve seen seasoned clothing brands expand their sizes. This month, Makeup Geek founder and Youtube beauty guru Marlena Stell debut her new fashion venture. Marste clothing line. Marste is a line designed for women sized 0-22. You’ll find a bevy of basi tanks, bodysuits, and bodycon dresses.
Marlena is a budding business mogul. Her Makeup Geek line has been successful and is currently available at Target. Now she is taking on the fashion industry with Marste. The Marste clothing line is a brand for all women and its made in L.A. Their mission is to redefine the way women think about fashion. The name is a blend of Marlena’s first and last name.
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Last month we were invited to the official launch party and I was able to see the clothes up close and personal. I can tell you that clothes are made with quality fabric and the aesthetic is very minimalist and classic wardrobe staples. I was able to get a brief interview with Marlena and ask her about her line.
Since the Makeup Geek line is very successful, I asked Marlena why would she want to venture into the fashion realm.
“I think because the whole role of Makeup Geek was to make people feel beautiful inside out and I felt that in the fashion industry there was some plus size fashion but not enough emphasis on it and I felt like there was still a separation of it. There was plus size stores and non plus size stores.”
“If I am shopping with a friend that may be a size 6 but I’m a size 18 its like oh see you later I’m going to shop somewhere else. It just wasn’t all together. That’s what I really wanted and the whole premise was to help women feel beautiful inside out. Not only with makeup but with fashion too. So, its kind of like the same premise just a different product to sell.”
Marlena had a vision for the Marste clothing line. She says, “I wanted kind of a module of clothes that all inter linked with each other. The line has 9 different colors that are all meant to commingle. So if you buy any two different pieces from the line regardless of what colors or styles they are they meant to go together. So, it takes out the guess work of having to be like what do I wear with this or how do I style it. Its supposed to be just easy and fun.”
If you’re wondering will there be any Marste clothing line stores, Marlena says she will be doing pop ups for the next year to see how it goes. They’re going to test each market to see what cities do the best. And then from there she’ll know where to set the first flagship store.
Marste clothing line is classic and made with quality fabric, however, I do wish they would offer more sizes. It’s a bit frustrating to hear a brand say they make clothes for all women but stop at a size 22. What about size 24, 26, and so on. I get that they just launched and maybe over time they will offer extended sizes but its a little disappointing for women above a size 22 to not be able to shop the line.
I should also tell you that the website is pretty cool. You can pick a model that is closer your body type and shop clothes based on that. Now, let me say this. The models are on the smaller side. They’re not full plus size models. However, I believe the goal is to focus on the models shape.
Shop the full collection at Marste. Below are a few styles that caught my eye.