[Velvet] You recently made an announcement via the PLUS Model Magazine Blog about 18PLUS. Can you tell us about what 18PLUS is and how aspiring models will be affected?

[Maddy] After Glamour featured their 7 plus size models in the buff and promised to try to feature more plus size models within their editorials we received hundreds of emails about the size of their bodies and asked us why bigger plus size models were not used. I posed the question to the readers via our blog and the comments came pouring in and some comments came directly to my email from bigger named clients and agencies in NY and CA.

While we have always pushed the envelope to feature plus size models of all sizes it has been difficult for us because the sample sizes are not readily available for us to shoot on models that are size 18 and above. Valery and I decided to stop waiting for the doors to open and reach out to the designers and clothing vendors for those bigger sizes and just continue to ask until they realize that this is what the consumer wants to see. We are also asking all models who are "18PLUS" to get ready because we are going to be featuring them in 2010 as we receive collaboration from the fashion industry. This means the models have to know how to pose from the top of their heads to the tips of their toes without any excuses.

I intend to wow the industry with what we are going to do and ask for feedback from those clothing companies about their sales. For years we have heard that companies do not use bigger girls because they don't sell the clothing. I want to see it for myself!