Plus-size reinvented: 'We were told to hide, wear a sack – now we want equality'

Curve, M&S’s new plus-size range, targets a modern woman who wants more fashion, not just bigger clothes

Danielle Vanier is a fashion blogger. A recent post sees her in a keyhole-front leather-look jumpsuit teamed with red lipstick and matching ankle boots; on her Instagram feed she is captured in modern faux-candid selfie style, gazing out of a window in black lingerie. Vanier is 30 years old, beautiful, an ambassador for Nike, and a digital influencer with 100,000 followers.

She is also – to use her preferred descriptor – fat. The aforementioned lingerie selfie is captioned “Three Cheers For Back Fat”. “I have always felt that I could have belly rolls, I could have chubby legs, and I could still look great,” she says. Vanier is a consultant to Curve, a new Marks & Spencer range available in sizes 18-32, the first pieces from which go on sale today. That M&S, which is already the biggest retailer in the UK plus-size market with womenswear available up to size 28, has created a separate plus-size collection is a reflection of how plus-size women are demanding the industry serve their needs with the same degree of attention to detail as women shopping for a size 10.