Archive for Dynamic People

About Me

I have been designing, manufacturing and retailing women's plus size clothing since 2004. In an effort to better understand the women I design for I could not think of a better way to do that than to get involved with the issues effecting today's plus size woman. I live part time in my hometown of Poteau Oklahoma and the rest of the time in Davao City Philippines where we do most of the design and manufacture of our products. How I became a designer and how I landed in Davao City is a story straight out of a fairytale. I met my wife Carmen by chance in a chatroom while waiting for a client from my property management business. Carmen said "hello" and our relationship developed from there. I was visiting her in her hometown of Davao City when a little boy, merely 3 days old, was dropped on our doorstep. In the beginning I totally objected but my "soon to be" wife seen him as a gift from God since she could not have children of her own and I later came kicking and screaming into that reality. At first our plan was just to send support back to him (Daniel) as adopting a child from a forein country takes a lot of time and money. After Carmen and I married we lived in the U.S. for about 4 month's and I knew she missed him terribly but one night I woke up and she was crying in her sleep and when I asked her why, she just stared at the ceiling for a moment and said "I really miss Daniel". In my heart I knew that she couldn't live apart from him and the decision to move to the Philippines seemed to be solitified in that one moment of clarity...but how do you support yourself and a family in a 3rd world country. We started small by selling anything we could online and eventually we seen a need in the plus size clothing market and began designing our own line which led to our own manufacturing company in the Philippines. Thus American Islander Garments Mfg was born. I never dreamed that I would be involved in women's plus size clothing nor that I would take up the banner for issues facing people of size. When examining where I stand with plus size activism I view myself more of an advocate than an activist hence the name "The Plus Size Advocate". Actually the name "The Plus Size Advocate" does not so much indicate who I am but mostly what this site is about "plus size advocacy". I do not pretend to know what it's like to be a plus size woman (as obviously I'm not). I have a BMI of 27 so I'm not "YET" considered obese according to federal guidelines so I don't know what it's like to be obese either. I do however have a strong opinion about the way human beings should be treated, which is with dignity respect and acceptance regardless of age, sex, race or size. My intention on this blog is to provide a platform for learning (for you and me) about plus size clothing, plus size politics, plus size opportunities and a safe haven for building confidence and body acceptance (not complacency). Bobby G. Keith Designer of Women's fashion forward trendy plus size clothing P.S. Daniel is now adopted :)