A MODEL has told how she was so annoyed by high street sizing that she started her own fashion label for comfortable female clothing.
Ashly Rae, 36, was one of Scotland’s top models and even had her 37” legs insured for £1million.
The Aberdeen-born beauty, who modelled for Victoria Beckham, usually only had difficulties finding trousers that fit because she was 5 ft 10.
But after putting on a little weight over lockdown, she was shocked when she visited Zara to find that she could only fit into their Large clothing options.
She was surprised as she was still had a very petite frame and would be described as being slim by everyone else.
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Ashly, who now runs Elswear, says: “The idea of a fashion business kept coming to me and like many women, I would say I put on weight in a relationship.
“I went in an extra small and left as a size large.
“Nothing fit me when I tried it on, all the clothes were too small, I stared at sizes and it just didn’t feel good.
“That change in my body and how it was linked to not feeling myself and losing confidence, the two together made me I realise I could do something that could be positive for women.
“A Zara large is only a size 12. Who decided that size 12 can be large?”
Ashly thinks it’s important that sizing is realistic because it can have damaging consequences on people of all shapes and sizes if it’s not.
Although she knew because of her modelling background that she was still trim, she felt for other people who might actually think they’re on the large side when they weren’t.
And equally, she also knows firsthand that it’s not always nice to be told you’re too small either.
The model wants people to be happy in their own skin and hopes fashion labels start doing their bit in promoting that message.
She added: “With myself, I always found it really difficult finding clothes.
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“Even with school skirts I was always told off for them being too short, but it was just the length of my legs.
“I still have to shop in certain stores and brands.
“If you’re tall you can’t pop into any high street shop and buy trousers.”
