Today we’d like to introduce you to Elizabeth Taylor.
Hi Elizabeth, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
One freezing winter I came down to Miami (I had never been before) and was blown away with all the curvy women on the beach wearing the skimpiest bikinis I had ever seen. I thought I was so cutting edge with all of the sexy swimwear I had been given by the companies I model for, but it paled in comparison to a simple, black string bikini that women of all shapes and sizes were wearing strolling down Miami Beach.
Backstory: I am from Long Beach, California but had clocked almost 20 years in NYC going to NYU drama school and then becoming a plus size model. And yes, Elizabeth Taylor is my real name. Ha! I was told by a big acting agent, “You are too pretty to be the fat girl and too fat to be the pretty girl”. I was devastated and took up a friend’s advice to start plus size modeling. My career came fast and furious, focusing more on ‘fit modeling’ where I was used as a live mannequin of sorts. I worked in showrooms and ‘behind the scenes’ of the fashion industry.
Through my incredible connections in the garment industry, a pattern maker at a client casually said to me, “I’ll make your pattern”. BOOM! She not only made the pattern but introduced me to my American factory. I made 100 suits and they sat in my living room. Then we had the magic moment of a viral Facebook video, they sold out overnight and I have been “running and gunning” ever since. This was in June 2017.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Not at all, but highs like you can’t imagine and lows so incredibly painful. When my father passed away in the height of our viral year insanity, I was very honest and told the customers about it. I clearly remember one customer saying to me: “Until you spoke about your father passing away, I thought you were just a celebrity like Kylie Jenner who had made a swimwear line.” I will never forget that! Pushing bikinis in a shopping cart in the snow in Queens, NYC – crying when I get bills I had no idea were coming – crying with customers when they share their bikini pix with me. Balancing this Curvy Beach while still modeling was a nightmare and once we went viral all over again on The Today Show, I decided enough was enough and I decided to quit and run it full time. This has been the biggest struggle of all.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We are the plus size bikini experts. I can definitely stand behind that statement. We will have our 5th anniversary next year and I can’t believe how lucky I am to continue to do this; to serve women when they are at their most vulnerable – at the beach or pool. Body dysmorphia runs deep – especially in women – often many generations have passed it down. I’m happy to break the cycle and even next year we are doing a kids line! So everyone can feel Body Positive.
Made in the USA matters so, so much to us and we are pleased to have been with our original factory since 2016. Also proud that we are privately owned – I started it with $10,000 of my savings and we continue to be a six-figure business with no outside help. I just hired my first employee, my best friend who has been part of CB since day one and it’s a proud moment knowing we can pay both of our bills.
We also offer community via our Facebook group where our amazing customers have even formed their own friendships and are living the Curvy Beach lifestyle even when it’s not beach season!
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Pay your bills on time, be polite but firm and learn to say, “I’m sorry” and “I need help”. And find a great mentor and listen to them! I wish I knew nothing. This was obviously the way it was meant to be – ha. And now something small as scheduling a UPS pick up or precious as ordering fabric, I can do it in a chill, beautiful environment like Miami. Moving from NYC here makes this all so sweet.
Contact Info:
- Email: elizabeth@curvybeach.com
- Website: www.curvybeach.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/curvybeach/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/curvybeachbabes
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CurvyBeach
