The inaugural Fat Fashion Show in Northwest Arkansas on March 21 celebrated fashion that highlights body diversity and representation, drawing more than 250 attendees.
The event was organized by University of Arkansas senior Annalise Robins, who uses they/she pronouns, and local therapist Katie “Fitz” Fitzwilson, who uses she/they pronouns. The show featured a runway show alongside a place for vendors to sell their merchandise and catered food, creating a versatile experience for attendees. Vendors sold handmade products and food was provided by Handshake, a restaurant at the Fayetteville Public Library.
Fat Fashion Show founders, Annalise Robins (left) and Katie “Fitz” Fitzwilson (right) hold closing remarks at the end of the show.
Robins, an apparel merchandising and product development major, said she developed the idea for the show after organizing various fashion-related events on campus. Robins founded the sustainable fashion club at the beginning of their sophomore year and served as president until fall 2025, and now helps advise it.
“I wanted to do something that felt more celebratory and community driven,” Robins said. “This is a fashion show that happens to be fat.”
The Creative Exchange Fund sponsored the event that took place at The Medium, a program that supports artists financially, and Robins said that support helped them organize the event over the past few months. The funding helped the team secure a venue and pay their models.
“We always said if we had the space and the funding, we could make something like this happen,” Robins said. “That support made it possible.”
A model walks the runway at The Medium in Springdale.
The show focused on a variety of bodies, highlighting conversations about the visibility of bigger bodies in fashion and media. Robins said focusing on fat bodies, rather than just including them, was a key factor in planning.
They also noted that access to clothing can be limited for some people, especially in thrift stores where there might not be as many size options.
“People have to work harder to find clothes that fit their style,” Robins said. “That’s part of why events like this matter.”
The event included different vendors showcasing their products before the show for attendees to view and purchase. Leea Johnson, a social worker, was selling jewelry and said the proceeds would help them get top surgery.
Johnson said the event provided a space where multiple factors of identity could be expressed at the same time.
“I think about intersectionality,” Johnson said. “Spaces like this allow people to show up as themselves in different ways.”
The show featured a variety of looks from local designers, including looks from The Library Vintage, a business centered on building community and sharing resources. Designers for the store Sav Burns and Meg Carpenter said their work purposefully moves away from mainstream fashion by having pieces that people would not normally see. Carpenter explained their goal of creating pieces that felt more expressive than restrictive.
“I want people to feel inspired and maybe a little confused,” Carpenter said. “Like a sense of wonder.”
Burns also mentioned common assumptions about plus-size fashion.
“People think fat people want to cover their bodies,” Burns said. “We think people should wear clothes, not clothes wear people.”
The runway featured various models with a variety of body types, all wearing looks focused on individual expression. The looks featured crochet dresses, maxi satin dresses and colorful two-piece sets.
Natalie Seawright, a model in the show, said being a part of an event centered on fat bodies felt different from her past experiences in fashion.
A model walks the runway at The Medium in Springdale.
“It’s incredibly empowering,” Seawright said. “Bodies look different; we’re not all a size 0.”
Seawright, who is a preschool teacher, said she became interested in fashion at a young age but rarely saw representation for bodies that looked like hers.
“Everything was very focused on being skinny,” she said. “There wasn’t really a positive space for plus-size fashion, especially for younger people.”
She said that representation in retail spaces remains an issue. She felt that even when there are options online for plus-size people, it is not the same as an in-store experience.
During the show, Seawright said she was feeling a mix of nerves and excitement.
“The butterflies hit right before I went out,” she said. “But once I was on the runway, the energy from the crowd was really positive.”
Robins said a goal of the event was to make a space where models and designers could collaborate more directly than in a typical fashion show. They said models got to decide what to wear, and that is not common, but it was a crucial part of the show.
The Fat Fashion Show logo appears on a quilt.
Robins said attendance at the show exceeded their initial expectations, with ticket sales spiking in the days before the event. They said the turnout indicated strong interest in future shows.
“I think there’s potential for it to grow,” Robins said. “There are more people who want to be involved.”