LOS ANGELES — The City of Los Angeles is known for its numerous flea markets and vintage sellers, but a unique market in downtown is making waves by catering to a group that is often overlooked. Thick Thrift brings plus size fashion to the forefront.
For Cristie Wilson, spending her Sunday at Thick Thrift is a joy.
“Thick Thrift is so cool," Wilson said. "I've been plus size my whole life, truly, since birth. I was a big toddler, the whole thing. And so, shopping has always been a struggle.”
Finding clothes in her size has been a challenge, especially finding them in physical stores.
“There’s not a lot of it in stores. And what there is, it’s like in some dark, dusty cobweb corner,” she adds.
With more than 100 vendors specializing in plus-sized goods at Thick Thrift, Wilson isn’t facing a struggle today.
“You got to get creative when you're big, you know? But this is just like our own little fashion mall where there's stuff here that will fit us,” co-founder Rachael Frank said.
Thick Thrift is the brainchild of Frank and two co-founders, Aya Kajikawa and Mia Fernandez. The event began as a yard sale, but quickly grew in popularity.
“After a thousand people showed up to the first one, we were like, 'Wow, this is crazy. Clearly, this is filling a niche," Frank said. "But it’s not actually really a niche. Most people in America are plus size.”
Experts estimate that the average size of an American woman is between 14 and 16, which is commonly considered plus size. Thick Thrift’s founders also aimed to address another significant issue in plus-size fashion: sustainability.
“A lot of stuff is just kind of like fast fashion, ethically questionable, and just kind of boring to me also. So, I really wanted to start a sale that gathered all of the plus-size brands from around LA that maybe usually would be only online. All the vintage sellers that were finding cool pieces,” Frank said.
One of the vendors, Ashley Mejia, founded the Oleada Collection to serve an area often ignored — plus-size jewelry.
“When we think of size inclusive in the fashion industry, I feel like jewelry kind of gets left behind a little bit. But there are a lot of people who can't fit into standard six, seven, eight ring sizes or standard anklet sizes or even necklaces,” Mejia said.
Her business fills this gap, and every time a customer finds a piece that fits, she feels fulfilled.
“They feel confident and it fits them," she said. "They're not hurting themselves, squeezing into it. It actually fits them and they're celebrating themselves.”
And Wilson not only found something to purchase at Thick Thrift, but also gained a confidence boost.
“It is a confidence boost. And out in the world, you don't see a lot of representation of other plus-size people. And so when you are surrounded by them, it just makes you feel like a normal human,” Wilson said.
Thick Thrift is making inclusivity accessible and proving that fashion is for everyone. To find out when the next Thick Thrift event is happening, visit their Instagram and TikTok pages @ThickThriftLA.