Meet Jessica Hinkle | Photographer & Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jessica Hinkle and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jessica, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I had always wanted to get into fashion but as a fat person with a family not so supportive of the arts, I never went for it. Then a little over 10 years ago, I came across the fat positive community and the folks doing really important work to de-stigmatize being fat. Through that community, I did some self-exploration and a lot of learning and unlearning. Once I learned to love and accept myself, I decided that I should stop waiting around to do the things I had always dreamed of. Without an education in fashion, I decided to do what I did best, start with vintage. Plus size vintage was so hard to find and not many people were offering it. I started with a size inclusive vintage shop and eventually, once I had some experience with small business under my belt, I pivoted to cater to plus size consumers, adding contemporary pieces and eventually learning to produce our own line. Long story short, my business was bred out of a desire to offer something different and uncompromising to plus size consumers, to build community, and to pave my own way in a DIY fashion career.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Through my business, I found a love for photography and shooting women of all sizes in a beautiful way. So many times in the media, we see mostly thin bodies. When we do see fat models on the cover of magazines, they’re wrapped up in a quilt or coat. I have worked to showcase people in larger bodies in ways that show the world we are beautiful too, and our bodies are art and deserve to be celebrated just like anyone else’s.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Oh my gosh, when my best friend visits we have our favorite go-to spots. Obviously, things have changed right now but generally we love to head to Little Dom’s for fried rice balls or to the San Gabriel Valley for some dumplings. We usually try to hit the beach, whether somewhere south like the Redondo Beach pier where you can get fried fish the size of your head and walk around on the waterfront or north to Zuma for some dolphin sightings. Then we hit up some vintage or thrift spots to see if we can find some gems. I love Hotbox Vintage in South Pasadena, especially for jewelry and bags. We love to walk around Olvera Street together to shop and listen to the Mariachi music. Finally for a drink, we might hit up the dimly lit La Cuevita in Highland Park for one of our favorite happy hours.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Thank you to all the fat women that paved the way, from those that offered me advice and support to those that gave so many of us an education in dismantling internalized hate to make room for us to love and celebrate ourselves.

Website: www.jessicahinkle.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/jessicahinklestyle
Other: www.proudmaryfashion.com www.instagram.com/proudmaryfashion