Q&A with plus-size designer Yuliya Raquel

"Praise the goddess, the most awesome of the goddesses.
Let one revere the mistress of the peoples,the greatest of the Igigi.
She is clothed in pleasure and love.
She is laden with vitality, charm, and voluptuousnes"

--------Taken from IGIGI.com, inspiration for the line.

Since Yuliya Raquel was five years old, she has had a true passion for fashion.  Armed with only a few art books and her mother’s pattern book as her sources of entertainment, Raquel quickly began to appreciate the phenomena of color and curves.

In 1997, she started designing professionally for private couture clients, then, she said, she had an epiphany.  One day when she and  her voluptuous mother went shopping, Raquel was disappointed to discover the void in stylish clothes for women with curves.  From then on, it became the mission of this 34-year-old Ukranian-born designer to transform the world’s view of beauty.

We sat down with Yuliya for a one-on-one chat this morning to discuss her line.

Full Name: Yuliya Zeltser

She goes by Yuliya Raquel because Raquel was her grandmother’s name and her first sewing teacher. She was also her muse for many years. The name, she said, puts her grandmother in her presence every day.

Age: 34

Residence: San Francisco, CA

Q&A

Stephanie:  Where did the name IGIGI come from?

Yuliya:  IGIGI is pronounced as ee-zhee-zhee in French and has a funny story behind it. I wanted to create a sexy name and a friend of mine was helping me come up with all kinds of names. She took the French name, Gigi and made it symmetrical by placing the “I” at the beginning of the word. When I heard 'igigi', it instantly felt right to me, and I absolutely loved the way it sounded. But, get this, when I researched online and found that IGIGI was actually the name of the ancient civilization's gods, I was blown away.  The main goddess of the group was Ishtar. There was a corresponding poem [see above] that was created for the story and when I read it, I immediately got goose bumps. It represents exactly what IGIGI stands for.

Stephanie:  I noticed that unlike most mainstream plus-size store chains, IGIGI uses real plus-size models.  What’s that a conscious choice? What was your rationale behind that?

Yuliya:  How could you not? Could you imagine selling children's clothes and presenting them on a woman’s body? Could you imagine selling women's clothes and presenting the garments on boys?
If I’m talking to full figured woman, why should I hire a skinny girl to model the clothes? It’s completely illogical.

My philosophy is that our society has an unhealthy relationship with food. I mean, look at the weight-loss industry. Yet, at the same time, look at the food industry. We’re stuck in between. But I see that it’s starting to turn around slowly. Real women started to be accepted now and it’s a good thing because beauty has nothing to do with the dimension of your body.

Stephanie:  Do you design for private clients?

Yuliya:  No! This is a big job. It takes all of my time.

Stephanie:  Have you ever designed for celebrities?

Yuliya:  Yes, I’ve designed for Nikki Blonski. Monique has worn some of my pieces and so has Gabourey [Sidibe], the star of the movie Precious.

Stephanie:  Yulia, you’re not plus-sized, so how did you decide to make designing women's plus-size clothes your life's work?

Yuliya:  I always say I design for beautiful women who are full-figured.  The fact is that there’s definitely a void in the plus-size apparel market that needs to be fulfilled.  I don’t view women who wear larger sizes as as being any different from anyone else. We all come in different shapes, sizes and ages, and heights. That’s not an imperfection, that’s beauty, and it is what makes us all unique and special.  I also like knowing that what I do as a profession and as my passion, is making a difference.

Stephanie: Did you attend Full-Figured Fashion Week last year? What are your thoughts about it?

Yuliya:  It was a major mistake for us not to participate. We had some personal challenges and didn't make it, but I think it's wonderful. I've known Gwen DeVoe for many years and she's great. I plan to participate this year for sure and years to come.

Stephanie:  Any plans to visit Atlanta to do a show?

Yuliya:  Why? What do you have in mind? *giggles*

Stephanie:  What sets IGIGI apart from other plus-size designers and retail chains?

Yuliya:  Everyone else sells clothes. We sell a concept. We create clothes. Everytime I design a dress, I wear the dress in my mind, I feel it. Clothing is something that we spend all our time in, and I put my essence into it. It's a very spiritual process. I put that same energy into every dress, every pair of pants and ever skirt. Our customers feel that. 

Visit IGIGI's website to browse and place orders and read more about the history of the line. All of IGIGI's clothing is made in America.

Readers of this article get 10% off of IGIGI purchases. Promotion good through January 22.  Use the code "atlantaexaminer".