PMM Archives: Ben Barry Agency Blurs Fashion’s Boundaries

Ben Barry is a man that has always bulldozed all four walls that way too many people in the fashion industry allow to confine them. Since 14 years old, this man has thought outside the proverbial box and has been able to create a career around it. When Ben’s friend was rejected while chasing her dream of being a model, in his adolescence, Ben made it his mission to “transform the industry into a true reflection of society.” Ben basically wanted to see real women in magazines, on runways and all over the fashion industry, so he created his Ben Barry Agency.

“I started my agency like some kids go to hockey or dance practice–it was my after-school activity. Whether I made money or not or it becoming a career was an afterthought. It wasn’t my motivation. It was crazy that my friends, who were curvy, couldn’t be in the industry. I wanted to try to do something to change that,” Ben humbly admits. There’s not many people that develop a passion so deeply rooted, it becomes a part of who they are. Ben’s focus isn’t only on curvier women, but all women that think they could never be considered beautiful enough to be placed in an ad or on a runway. “We represent about 53 models. We have models that have all different sizes, ages, backgrounds, heights and abilities. Some models are in wheelchairs, some are 5’3, some are 65 years old. They range to represent the broadest segment of the population as possible because we’re all consumers. Everyone looks different.”

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by Editor-in-Chief, Madeline Jones

Always an activist and looking to bring plus size women into a fashion forward mentality, in 2006 she combined forces with friend and online magazine publisher, Valery Amador, to create PLUS Model Magazine, where they could respond to plus women's demand for fashionable clothing displayed prominently on appropriately sized models. Since then, Ms. Jones has quickly become the, 'Anna Wintour' of the plus size industry where she is frequently called upon for her expertise and insight; Appearances and interviews include ABC World News with Diane Sawyer, Entertainment Tonight, Coco Perez, Fox News, HuffingtonPost.com and 200+ other media sources.

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