One on One: Designer Ashley Nell Tipton

Ashley Nell Tipton was born and raised in San Diego, California. The youngest of four children she had an early passion for fashion. Tipton remembers discovering her love of sewing when she would design clothes for her Barbie’s. She learned to sew on her grandmother’s sewing machine when she was just seven years old.

Tipton created her first fashion collection during her senior year in high school. She was inspired by the look of the hippie generation and their eclectic styling. She chose to attended fashion college after graduating high school. She then graduated from Fashion Careers College (FCC) in San Diego in the spring of 2012. FCC offered her the opportunity to hone her skills as a designer and to receive an education in fashion. During her 18 months at FCC she took a college trip to Paris in May 2011. She visited the Atelier Chandon Savard School and met many of the Parisian students. Tipton used the chic styling of the French students and the Parisian woman for inspiration in her current collection.

One of her goals is to help full figured women feel good in what they wear and she hopes to be “THE” Full Fashion Designer. She understands what plus women want and would like to give curvy girls a chance to show their style with chic edginess.

She says: “My collection is a full figured collection for the woman in her 20’s or 30’s who is a chic rocker! My collection is an artful combination of glamour and street fashion. I love color and I’m very inspired by curvy women and helping them feel good in their clothes. I want to offer plus size women the opportunity to wear fun colors and to avoid the pit-falls of only wearing black because many curvy girls think it is the only color that is slimming.”

Tipton chose to go against the plus size industry grain and created a collection that is full of bright hues and bold patterns. She says: “I pictured my muse roaming the streets of Paris unabashed and feeling confident in their stride while wearing designs that are not seen in full figure fashions today. The finished line is filled with bold colors and finesse… just like me!”

Tipton talked to Pink Egg Media during the Timken Museum’s “Art of Fashion” event in San Diego, CA.