Up Close and Personal With Lydia Okello, Plus Size Model, Writer and Digital Creator of @StyleIsStyle

At a time when major fashion brands are asking, “what do non-binary people look for in style and clothing? How can we include them in plus size lines?” the most important action is to listen and give non-binary plus size people space and platform to share what’s important to them.

Up Close and Personal With Lydia Okello

“Colour, creativity, and expression. I’m lucky that my job affords me access to designers I love, and it excites me to do their garments justice. I’m always trying to push myself out of my comfort levels and challenge myself creatively as well!”

As a Black plus size person in the modeling and fashion industries, what brings you joy when it comes to clothes and the outfits you curate?

I think my relationship to clothes as expression has been clearer, for longer, than my understand of my own gender. I identify as non-binary, and as I started to unravel my relationship to my gender, I felt panicked that I was going to lose a major form of expression.

How has gender impacted the type of clothes you buy and wear? Have you found your style changing and evolving over the years, or has it mostly stayed the same?

Many many places. Friends, family, acquaintances. Social media — there are so many rad folks on Instagram and TikTok. I also love to reference nature (source of the best colour combinations), nostalgic media from my childhood, books and music. I suppose, all in all, media, art, nature.

Where do you get your inspiration for outfits and styling?

“Writing for Vogue has definitely been a career highlight — a very big leap from typing on my family computer and using my mom’s digital camera.  I don’t know if I have one specific highlight though. I tend to be a person who is always moving the goalposts… I’m working on that."

What has been the most exciting point of your career, thus far? What career goals do you have for yourself in the next few years?

“I would love to see the industry move towards “what do [plus size] customers want?”. I want a future in fashion where fat folks have as much selection, quality and availability as straight size folks. And I don’t mean just up to a size 18 or 20 but for super-fat and infini-fat folks as well.

How would you like to see the plus size fashion industry change in the next five years?

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