YULIYA RAQUEL is a natural-born artistic individual through fashion designing.  This Ukrainian-born beautiful woman is a lead designer and founder of IGIGI (pronounced as ee zhee zhee), one of today’s leading brands of clothing for real women of all shapes and sizes, which is based in San Francisco, California.

It is extraordinary for a three year-old child to be fascinated at fashion magazines, or for a seven-year old to have mastered the sewing machines. Fashion designing comes to Yuliya naturally. She has been designing clothes since she was five. Part of her high school program in  Russia was designing. She was so fascinated at it, so she took additional classes while still in Russia. When she transferred to the USA, she took a few classes too.

Thinking of a more stable profession, Yuliya tried herself in the field of medicine. But destiny gave her whole life to fashion designing. Maybe it was fate, or a personal calling that led her to an exclusive passion for plus size market. Her greatest masterpiece is the unbeatable IGIGI.

Yuliya‘s  interest in plus size fashion started when she went shopping with her mother (a beautiful woman size 24 at that time) at the full figured stores. They were disheartened at the reality that there was not enough stylish, form-fitting, and feel good clothes available for curvaceous women like her mother. She went store hopping searching what is available for her mother only to end up frustrated.  She realized that only very few stores offer stylish clothing for fashion loving curvy women.

As I was browsing the net, I was led to www.pasazz.net where I came across the video of Yuliya, which she released on the occasion of IGIGI’s 10th anniversary to share with the women her inspiring story of self acceptance and discovering the beauty inside her. In that video she shared that she had an anorexia when she was ten years old because she had an ugly concept of herself. Everything that she saw in herself was ugly. The anorexia was gone when she was a teenager, but the feeling of ugliness remained. Further she shared that when they moved to America, her mother gained so much weight (from size 12 to size 24) because of medication. This affected her mother’s self-esteem so much. Her mother’s feeling of ugliness was reinforced by the pressure of the people around her to reduce weight.

The horrible situation of Yuliya‘s mom became an eye opener for her. She knows for a fact that  her mom was truly beautiful inside and out. But how can she convince other people that they are beautiful if she cannot accept herself? Tired of feeling ugly, she finally decided to accept herself and to be beautiful, and made a 180 degrees change in her life. Since then she developed a beautiful perspective about herself, and she took it as a personal conviction to change world’s view of beauty, or redefine beauty. This is the same mission that IGGI is spreading around the globe through their beautiful collections – the latest and stylish apparel designs and accessories for beautiful and fashion loving curvaceous and voluptuous women. IGIGI is committed to break the boundaries that prevent  people from appreciating their innate beauties.

About 12 years ago prior to IGIGI, she was a couturier having a little studio, designing chic evening gowns for women sizes 18, 20, 22, and 24. The main complaint is that they want something beautiful for a wedding occasion, and have nothing to wear because the stores do not cater to them.  After doing some research in plus market, Yuliya realized a void in the plus size clothing market that needs to be met. And because of her strong conviction to change the world’s definition of beauty, she launched in February 2000 igigi.com where she posted online her clothing collection. IGIGI had a humble beginning. She launched IGIGI with just 300 dollars that she paid for the website and sewing machine. She had made the launching of IGIGI a history because she had successfully managed it to become one of the top leading brands in plus size clothing around the globe. She claims that today IGIGI “has tens and tens and tens of thousands of customers around the globe.” She had managed IGIGI to become a landmark in the plus fashion industry.

Yuliya envisions a world that allows everyone to feel beautiful. She promotes size acceptance and advocates that every woman should fall in love with who they are inside and out. She believes that everyone is gorgeous just the way they are, no need to change, no need to be weight conscious.  She believes that every single human being on earth is truly beautiful beyond description.  Everyone is created beautiful.  There’s an innate beauty in a woman, she just needs to unleash them. Beauty is not about size and shape, our body is our body, just the way it is.  She emphasizes that beauty and size are two different things. As women we’ve got to celebrate ourselves and exudes that beauty and be an inspiration to many.

When Yuliya designs, she always situates herself at how a wearer will feel in the garment. Will it make her feel more feminine, sensual or attractive, etc.? She finds joy and fulfillment when she receives positive feedbacks from her happy and satisfied clientele.

Please visit IGIGI’s official website. They offer you an up-to date apparel collection to fulfill your fashion needs. If you want a one-time only design, check out their new line called Limited Collection. You can find trendy, hot style and unique pieces from their Limited Collection.