![Michelle Mitchell has launched her plus-size clothing range Fourteen80. Picture: Elesa Kurtz Michelle Mitchell has launched her plus-size clothing range Fourteen80. Picture: Elesa Kurtz](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/hU74HdTxzzWB78D7znDAb9/8b69d6ea-604a-4fc5-aaa1-0e07f2b9c25a.jpg/r0_112_4207_2477_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Canberra's Michelle Mitchell knows how to dress to impress.
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Her personal Instagram account is filled with photos of outfits that would leave many envious. That is, until they hear she has just launched her own online fashion store, Fourteen80.
In the few weeks since the site went live, some of the styles have already sold out and have been restocked.
"I didn't expect it to blow up as quickly as it has, but it's the trust people have that has done that. They know who I am, they know my brand and they know I'm honest and not going to rip them off. If I'm wearing it, they know they're going to be able to wear it," Mitchell says.
Fourteen80 specialises in fashion for the "everyday woman", with a mix of everyday wear, occasion wear, swimwear, lingerie, and accessories designed for sizes 16 and up.
The designs take into consideration what plus-sized people look for in clothing, not just in functionality but in style. As Mitchell puts it, it's clothing "your mum won't wear".
![Michelle Mitchell has launched her plus-size clothing range Fourteen80. Picture: Elesa Kurtz Michelle Mitchell has launched her plus-size clothing range Fourteen80. Picture: Elesa Kurtz](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/hU74HdTxzzWB78D7znDAb9/7aae92ed-1721-46ea-9dcc-f85ca8a17f74.jpg/r0_151_4238_2534_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"For example, I love Mad Men and I love the length of those dresses and they cut off right at the calf," Mitchell says.
"So pretty pieces like that, that are really comfortable and are made with material that stretches. And clothing that not only has zips, but has buttons, rather than those dresses that have tiny little zips and they get caught on the seam."
Setting up a business has been a unique experience for Mitchell. However, one of the benefits that the pandemic, and in particular lockdown, brought on was that online shopping has become the norm - more so than ever.
However, the process was not without its challenges.
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"The reality is starting a fashion line is terrifying because I want to have my own stock, I want to try it, I want to touch it and I want to know where it comes from," Mitchell says.
"I even get photos from the factory where my clothes are made to make sure that they're being made with ethical practices and that people are being looked after, which is extremely complex to try and do.
"It took me about four months to find the right suppliers and the right people that I was comfortable with."
Recent sales from the online store indicate that there is certainly a demand in the section of the market. But more than that, Mitchell wants to improve the overall shopping experience for people shopping in that size range. She knows that it can be uncomfortable to shop - particularly when there are limited options in physical shopping centres - and wants to be the opposite of that.
"There's no variety in shopping centres, you get sweaty, you get hot, you get emotional, and it's distressing," she says.
"And you end up with not purchasing something or purchasing something that doesn't fit. If you hate it when you've bought it, but you've brought it because you had to, it's just this unhappy, unhealthy relationship.
"There are missing pieces in the market and I think that I have a long way to go. I want to do jeans and things like that. My goal would be to design my own and get my pieces made. Especially some select pieces, such as jeans and things like that."
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