I was on the phone the other day with a friend of mine who is far more well-known than I'll ever be. We talk about nearly everything under the sun and I find that our friendship bears a great deal of intellectual fruit. One of the interesting things about my friend is that she has a famous body, known specifically for having the kinds of curves that only a black woman can possess. I asked her if all the attention ever bothered her, and she said "No. What bothers me is that I can't find any clothes that fit!"

This conversation re-opened my eyes to the struggles that women of color have when it comes to finding clothes that work with the beautiful look God gave them. I then decided to do a Dr. Boyce AOL Black Voices Profile on Monif C. Clarke, one of the brilliant minds behind Monif C. Plus Sizes, a company that specializes in selling contemporary plus size clothing. Here is what she had to say:

What is your name and what do you do?
My name is Monif Clarke, and I am the co-founder and CEO of Monif C. Plus Sizes. I founded the company in 2005 with my mother Elaine Clarke who passed away in 2009.

What inspired you to pursue the business that you run today?
I started this business out of my own frustration with not being able to find sexy, sophisticated fashion forward clothing for plus size women like myself. I knew that if I was having difficulty finding beautiful clothing, there had to be many other women like me with the same problem, so I decided to design my own collection.

What have been some of your ups and downs as a business woman?
Some of the challenges I've come across as a business woman are just having to blaze my own trail in the fashion industry. There was no blueprint for to how to run a successful clothing line that caters to the plus size fashionista. If I created a line that was the usual drab work wear or casual clothing that is prevalent in the stores for larger sized women, it would probably have been easier, but what we are doing is not just about clothing but also about a lifestyle that is connected to a confident sexy full-figured woman. It has been difficult to sell that image and lifestyle to major retailers and have them buy into it. The great thing though is that our customers have found us through us being featured in many different media outlets and are extremely loyal to our brand. We've built quite a large business strictly through online retailing, a few specialty boutiques and our stand alone boutique in NYC.


What challenges do plus size women have when it comes to finding clothes that fit?
Fit and style are actually becoming less of an issue for plus size consumers. There are more and more designers such as myself that cater specifically to this customer. The challenge this customer does has is access. Many women want to go into a store and touch and feel and try on clothing but yet many of the more fashion forward clothing companies like Monif C. are primarily sold online which is one of the reasons I opened the NYC boutique. I wanted my customers to be able to enjoy a personal hands-on shopping experience with myself and my staff.

Do you have any advice for plus size women out there who are inspired by your success?
My success really is attributed to my faith and taking every opportunity that comes my way even when I didn't know what the outcome would be. I believe it is really important to use our lives for a purpose and I encourage women to seek out what their passion is, go for it, and trust that what you are doing will not only benefit you, but will also be beneficial for women everywhere. Being brave is where it starts.

What are your plans for the future?
My future plans are to continue to grow Monif C. into a household brand, secure strategic partnerships with the larger retailers and design capsule collections to be sold in their stores. I want to set a new industry standard and be an inspiration to young girls that look like me.

Is there anything else you'd like to share with our AOL Black Voices audience?
Thank you so much for interviewing me. We'd love for the Black Voices audience to come shop with us at www.monifc.com, in our New York City boutique located at 325 West 38th St., Suite 207, New York, NY 10018, or call 212.842.1641 to order.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.