Walk into the plus size clothing department in any of the big-box department stores across the country and you will find racks of clothing that plays it safe. Trentacosta New York is about contemporary looks that break the rules when it comes to shopping for sizes 10w to 24w. To do this, Darren Trentacosta derives most of his influences from his early years in his beloved hometown of New Orleans, his time spent abroad in Europe, and from his now everyday life experiences in New York City. His garments are steeped in the old-school charm of the South and mixed with the brash modernity of Manhattan. A graduate of The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Darren received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a concentration in fashion and photography. It was while attending school in the Windy City that Darren was introduced to the plus size fashion industry. Like most photographers, he started out testing models at local agencies to build his book, and although he enjoyed working with all divisions within those agencies, the plus size division really intrigued him. “The girls were gorgeous, but they were being shot as though they were sex-less old maids!” He could not understand why so many people, particularly those in the fashion field, felt the need to dumb down or make unattractive the concept of fashion for this segment of the shopping public. He made it his raison d’ętre to do the complete opposite: to celebrate the plus size woman and market to her in a way that is befitting a more fashion forward woman. Not long after graduation Darren relocated first to Milan and then to Paris to pursue his fashion photography career. It was on a return trip to Chicago that a chance encounter with Catherine Schuller would spark a new beginning. From the get-go their shared passions connected: Darren was interested in Catherine’s work at the time for MODE Magazine, and Catherine wondered how Darren could parlay his fashion experience into big changes for the plus size market. Five years later the two have partnered in many ventures together, but the one closest to Darren’s heart is the creation of the first ever runway show for plus size models, CurveStyle. It was during this 2001 event that designers from around the world displayed their plus size designs in an event worthy of the Bryant Park tents. “In Paris, I had suggested to a friend who was a stylist for Tom Ford at Yves Saint Laurent that he return with me to New York and help Catherine and I produce this event. I knew what this market needed was a truly creative, focused and, frankly, gutsy team.” That is exactly what they had and it showed in the final product. Although many opportunities followed the watershed event that was CurveStyle, Darren felt the market was still light-years away from making a more significant impact in the fashion industry. With every fashion project to which Darren turned his camera lens, Darren would suggest that his clients allow him to incorporate at least one plus size model into the mix. It was a wonderful concept to be sure, but a major problem still persisted: the lack of designer clothing for plus size models. How could one put a thin model in a Gucci dress and then offer the plus size model khakis and a button-down shirt on a fashion editorial photo shoot? It only reinforced the imagined fashion dichotomy between thin and fuller-figured women: that thin women are fashionable and perfect and that the plus size consumer is dowdy, not very desirable and completely without fashion aspirations. It was this dearth of choices for plus size women that eventually led Darren back to designing. His personal passion for making an impact on the market flies in the face of the largely utilitarian scope of the plus size woman’s shopping choices today: there are ample opportunities for this customer to buy functional, everyday items like basic shirts and pants, but the true fashion-forward pieces are few and far between. Where are the plus size versions of the items one sees in the monthly glossy magazines, on celebrities and models or, even more importantly, being worn by the plus size consumers’ thinner girlfriends? Where does the plus size consumer find these fashions? In response to that question, Darren re-launched his Trentacosta New York line after being on hiatus due to the effects of Hurricane Katrina on his hometown and state. “I was in Las Vegas at the WWIN show when Katrina hit, and I had to put the line on hold while I went home to New Orleans to face the huge challenge of helping my family and friends to deal with the aftermath of that terrible disaster.” Things are definitely back on track for Darren personally and business-wise, and he is ready to face another very intense challenge: bringing designer fashion to the plus size market. |