MADELINE JONES STEPS INTO THE FASHION DESIGN ARENA WITH everydayJONES
PLUS Model Magazine editor and co-owner Madeline Jones has dipped her feet into the fashion design arena with her first collection that launched alongside television powerhouse, The Home Shopping Network.
Madeline Jones is a well-recognized and loved name in the plus size fashion industry and has been advocating for size inclusivity for over 15 years. A chance meeting with designer Marla Wynne during a fashion event in NYC opened up opportunities for both brands to work together and form a bond most people did not see coming. Already a household name, Marla has been instrumental in presenting everydayJONES to the HSN family and offering 12+ years of experience.
“This is not a plus-size brand, but I am bringing my knowledge and expertise into the FIT sessions as we continue to launch new collections. Instead of fitting on a size medium and grading up, I’m fitting on a medium and a 1X simultaneously. I believe style is personal and should be celebrated at every age, size, and stage of your life.”
Maddy, as we all call her, shared her humble beginnings with her extensive social media followers and offered a sneak peek into the 10-piece collection which debuted on HSN August 11, 2022 via the PLUS Model Magazine August cover and editorial feature. The fall collection offers a faux suede mini capsule collection, a drama tunic, jumpsuit and a t-shirt which she designed as a tribute to her daughter who is on the Autism Spectrum. The “Wear What You Love” tee immediately became a favorite after Jones shared her story of how she was able to use fashion to celebrate her daughter’s personal style despite her learning disability.
Maddy has been supportive and instrumental to the growth of not only this industry, but many of us working in it. So when the news dropped that she was releasing the collection, many of us did not hesitate to do the same. And I mean come on, the pieces are HOT!
everydayJONES by Madeline Jones is available at HSN.com in size 0 – 26
Heyyyy Maddy! Let’s Chat
QSM: Maddy the model, Maddy the plus advocate and influencer, Maddy the publisher and now Maddy the designer. I am going to ask you what next but not yest (lol). What on earth made you want to create and release your own collection? And on HSN at that! That is HUGE!
Maddy: Developing a fashion collection was definitely something I always wanted to do among another 100 things. I’m the type of person that wants to do so much in one lifetime. At one time I wanted to have a modeling agency, a PMM workspace in NYC, a television show, etc. My mind is always going but life just has a way of pacing you. HSN is a huge step for me because it’s outside of my comfort zone. In the plus size space, I’m Maddy Jones, I am part of this amazing community. At HSN I’m starting brand new and I’m standing in front of people that are not my size and are not used to seeing someone my size sell clothing to them.
QSM: Let’s hit the rewind button and take it back to the beginning. You began in this industry as a model, correct?
Maddy: Well, I wanted to be a model, I took classes at the Plus Academy (Gwen De’Voe) and I quickly realized I was not a good walker but I had the attitude to push myself so I attended every class and took every opportunity presented to me. I immersed myself in the industry and started to join the FORUMS (there were no social media platforms at the time) and I had an opportunity to travel to Arizona to shoot with a photographer that would also be shooting the cover of BBW magazine that weekend. I had just lost my job and all I had was my rent money, so I did what I would not advise anyone to do, I took my rent money bought a ticket and roomed with like 4 other girls in ONE room just for the opportunity to shoot and possibly meet the creative director of the magazine.
Long story short the creative director came by when I was in the makeup chair and took a look at me and then my photo on the wall and said YOU look nothing like that (pointing at the photo) and I was devastated. I did not know how she meant it. A month after I got back to NY, I had an email from her asking me to shoot in Arizona for a fashion spread and that is how I got started as a model.
QSM: Nice. Speaking of Magazines. When and how did Plus Model Magazine come about?
Maddy: ALLURE Magazine as a beauty magazine and I LOVE makeup and was a subscriber. I read an article where they took 3 women and put them on diets. The before pictures were horrible and the after pictures, they had makeup on and nice outfits. I was so upset! I asked my friends Mia Amber and Lisa to come to my house and bring clothing that was similar to the after pictures to shoot in my then boyfriend (now hubby) apartment. We recreated the after pictures on our size 18 bodies and wrote a letter to the magazine and sent it to every single editor at the magazine. One editor actually ready it, reached out to me and said thank you, can we print it and the photos? I said yes, and sent it in. When the magazine was published one of the principles of MODE MAGAZINE (the magazine had already gone under) reached out to Valery Amador (my PMM business partner) who at that time had a forum called Venus Divas. She asked Valery if she knew who I was and if I was part of the Venus community so she connected us and I started to write for their online magazine called Amaze Magazine. I quickly became their Empowerment Editor. When Amaze went under it was Valery who came to me with the idea for PLUS Model Magazine after I sent her a picture of Fluvia Lacerda who NO ONE wanted to publish because it was too racy. That photo became our first cover and put us on the map.
QSM: As a publisher, I have to ask this question myself. What was the initial vision for PMM and how are you able to keep up with the ever changing of the industry?
Maddy: How many DAYS do we have to talk about this topic? LOL! Initially we wanted to showcase the plus size models. Back then the fashion industry was so dowdy, and the images were terrible and no one in mainstream was using plus size models. The only plus size model people really knew about was EMME. Ashley Graham was not even Ashley Graham yet. So, for us it was about celebrating the models and the people in the industry. Over the years we are still committed to celebrating the models and industry insiders but we also have bloggers, influencers and the entire media landscape changed. Now everyone wants to talk about plus size even if they don’t truly understand or care about the industry or community. There have been times that I felt like we no longer mattered but at the end of the day no one is dedicated to the industry, the models, the customer like we are. The mainstream platforms dip in and out and we remain focused on “us”.
QSM: As a publisher, I have to ask this question myself. What was the initial vision for PMM and how are you able to keep up with the ever changing of the industry?
Maddy: How many DAYS do we have to talk about this topic? LOL! Initially we wanted to showcase the plus size models. Back then the fashion industry was so dowdy, and the images were terrible and no one in mainstream was using plus size models. The only plus size model people really knew about was EMME. Ashley Graham was not even Ashley Graham yet. So, for us it was about celebrating the models and the people in the industry. Over the years we are still committed to celebrating the models and industry insiders but we also have bloggers, influencers and the entire media landscape changed. Now everyone wants to talk about plus size even if they don’t truly understand or care about the industry or community. There have been times that I felt like we no longer mattered but at the end of the day no one is dedicated to the industry, the models, the customer like we are. The mainstream platforms dip in and out and we remain focused on “us”.
QSM: I LOVE IT!!! How has the industry changed since you started?
Maddy: It has changed so much. Mainstream media and the fashion industry SEES us. We are not widely accepted as equals, but we’ve opened doors that were shut tight and bolted at one point. The fashion industry has also evolved as well, we have so many options that offer style for anyone despite shape or size.
QSM: everyJONES. Honestly, words aren’t enough to describe how proud I am of YOU. The name itself is pretty explanatory to me. But for those who may not know your story, What is the back story on EDJ?
Maddy: I AM YOU! I am your reader, I am your cousin, your sister, your friend. everydayJONES is a fashion brand for everyday people. We have huge brands doing amazing work, what I’m bringing is fashion through the lens of a working mom, someone who DID NOT grow up with fashion readily available to her, who understands budgetary concerns and who is open to changing the narrative around body confidence to mature women 40+. The younger generation has grown up in a different place when it comes to fashion and their role models. For those of us 40+ we dd not have that growing up and if our families did not instill self confidence in us we may still be struggling with self-esteem issues. These issues present themselves in everything we do, be it choosing careers, social events, and of course what you buy and how you adorn your body. I believe we are beautifully made and should “Wear What We Love” now!
QSM: EDJ is just who you are; you have been very vocal about “wear what you want”. Let’s talk about the pieces you chose. What was the inspiration there?
Maddy: My daughter Madison is 13 years old and looks 15 but many of her social skills are closer to five years of age due to her Autism Diagnoses. I’ve been teaching her how to pick out her clothing, get dressed and prepare herself to go out in public for years and one of the things we struggled the most was choosing what she wanted to wear because essentially, she LIKES everything she has.
I had to change the verbiage I was using and say, “Wear What You Love” today. Meaning what is speaking to you today? Changing LIKE to LOVE did the trick and she’s been picking her looks ever since and when I was given the opportunity to create my own print I chose “Wear What You Love”. We should all choose who we want to be that day, some days I’m in all black and some days I have way too many prints on… lol
QSM: Now I have to ask. What is next for you?
Maddy: I would love to be a host on HSN one day, crazy since I just joined the family. Lol I would also LOVE to be able to grow the Ageless Style part of PLUS Model Magazine and maybe even take it from PMM so it’s a stand-alone so that all sizes are included and not just plus size. I’ve also been writing a book for some time now which I’ve been working on with 3gPublishing so that should be coming out in the near future.
QSM: I will lookout for that announcement because we are speaking life into that. And I certainly cannot wait to read this book! Congratulations on everything that you are doing and have done for that matter. I am always inspired by you. How do you stay so calm in these days?
Maddy: Thank you so much for the support, I appreciate you. And QSM so much. It was not always like this and sometimes I’m not as calm as I should be. I’m much more in control of how I react to situations in the past 10 years. Prayer, meditation and surrounding myself with like-minded people sounds cliché but it works. Also, making better decisions for myself and not feeling like I have to explain everything. If it’s not good for me, my mental health, my family or my business I’m not doing it. Period. I’ve had to step away from people and situations that brought me to places I did not want to be emotionally and while it was very difficult to do I’m a much calmer person having more peace in my daily life.
QSM: In terms of branding yourself (because you have done a superb job) what advice can you offer to people living and building in these social media days?
Maddy: BE YOURSELF! You will not be everyone’s cup of tea. Some people won’t give you a chance. Others may not like you for any number of reasons. Branding is unique, you have to be able to stand on a spot and say THIS IS ME and those that find themselves interested in what you have to stay or what you have to stand for will come to you.
QSM: Please tell people where they can purchase some of your EDJ pieces. And also, where that can support everything you are doing.
Maddy: Thank you so much for this feature… I’m so excited for everything you are doing and can’t wait for The FFIAS.!!!
everydayJONES is available on HSN.com and follow us on Instagram
You can follow me on Instagram @plusjones and my own slice of PMM “Maddy’s Blog”
Thank you,
Xoxo
Maddy
all images shot by Lucas Pictures
Styling by Meaghan O’Connor
Hair and makeup (for Maddy’s images) Christian Briceno
Makeup for other models Dollhouseexpress
