Why the name "Wallflower" & Co?
Wallflower & Co was always a dream of mine, but it didn't have a name until this past August.
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I knew since the Summer of 2019 that I would be laid off from my full-time gig the next Spring. What I didn't know was that there would be a terrible pandemic eradicating any semblance of job hunting, work life, or life in general. I knew that I needed to think outside of the norm.
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After a few weeks of mind-boggling stress, I revived my idea of becoming a business owner. Despite 10 years of minimum wage jobs as a boutique buyer, furniture store manager, social media planner, influencer and eventually, office assistant at a former Army base, this dream was within my grasp once again.
So I started to brainstorm. What kind of business did I want to own? Not long after, I realized the idea had been in front of me for years.
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I had been blogging, specifically about plus size fashion, for at least 5 years. It was and still is a joy to research, write, connect, and create for my friends and followers. So why not curate a boutique with my favorite plus size fashion finds that I know is not only wanted, but necessary in our community?
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Once I had the idea, I needed a name. I had so much more to brainstorm, but I felt like I couldn't move forward without a name.
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I spent a month scribbling and scratching out names. Then one night, after a glass (or two) of wine, creating a collage of things that inspired me, I remembered the book, The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I loved the novel, the movie, and the concept of being a "wallflower."
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I realized that as a plus size woman, I was always a "wallflower," standing on the sidelines, admiring the fashion, runways, trends, none of which I could participate in, or at least not fully.
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As plus size women, plus size individuals in general, we're told we can be just as stylish and beautiful, and yet, we're sometimes not even provided with options while others have the clothing retail world at their disposal.
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"Wallflower" it was!
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I added the "& Co" to the name because although I want to include my own original designs in the future, I'm starting out by sourcing great plus size pieces. The vendors I find to have great, quality style are the "& Co."
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Wallflower & Co, which launched in early November 2020, is a safe place for fashionistas, like me, who are working to find inspiration from within, while also learning to celebrate their bodies and their unique beauty. I want to curate items that I absolutely love that are functional, comfortable, elegant, while still fun.
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As I've said on my blog, style is what you create when you put yourself together in the morning to go out into the world. Style cannot and should not be defined by what anyone besides the lovely person you see in the reflection each day says it is.
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My wish for Wallflower & Co is that it can be a catalyst for people to start to imagine themselves as their own muses and embrace their status as a "wallflower," not as someone sitting on the sideline, but someone who has bloomed despite being placed there.
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Christina