Hi Lindsey! Can you please introduce yourself and Expanse Active?
I'm Lindsey (she/her), aka @fatbodypilates and now @expanseactive! I'm a 40-something full-time cog in the American healthcare insurance machine who is trying to do something positive with the other hours in my days. Expanse is the most recent of my endeavors to advocate for inclusivity of fat bodies, this time in the activewear space.
Before creating Expanse Active, you were already doing some amazing work on size inclusion in movement spaces. What first led you to fat-positive Pilates and advocacy?
When I started @fatbodypilates in 2019, I'd been practicing Pilates for years without seeing myself/fat bodies represented in the industry. I even paid to go through teacher training to learn how to better advocate for myself in class just to realize that the only thing most Pilates education programs teach is that the size of someone's body is enough information to judge the appropriateness of exercises for them (i.e., "obese clients should not do [x]"--and yes, of course they were using stigmatizing language in all of the training manuals ). Those kinds of assumptions hurt everyone, but especially those of us who are bigger. I thought if sharing my practice online helped even a handful of people realize that yes, Pilates is for ALL bodies and/or that there is room for improvement in the way we teach to larger bodies it would be worth my effort. And then Pilates started trending and so did my account.
What was missing from activewear that led to the creation of Expanse Active?
I couldn't find a single pair of leggings that I wasn't constantly adjusting in Pilates class. There's nothing like somehow almost pantsing yourself in a group class to make you wonder if you could do leggings better.
Were there any specific moments where you thought, “Okay, we have to build this ourselves?”
In researching if creating an activewear line was even something that I could reasonably do, I learned that there are a variety of fit model "builds" that can be used to develop patterns. None of the "athletic" fit models looked anything like me. So I chose the fit model build that did: the opposite side of the spectrum, fullest-figured one available. The moment I put our first pair of sample leggings on my body, I knew we were on to something.
Expanse Active is created by people with lived experience in plus-size bodies. How does that change the way you and your team design?
Living, moving in fat bodies is our everyday reality. We acknowledge and address the nuance of flesh/tissue in motion without shame or judgment.
What do you think gets missed when plus-size activewear is designed without plus-size people in the room?
Humanity. Size is not an indicator of worth or worthiness. Fat bodies inherently matter and deserve everything (including well-fitting, high-quality activewear).
Expanse starts sampling at a size 3X / 22–24, which is so rare in fashion. Why was that important to you? How does starting with that size from the beginning change the fit and feel of the final pieces?
Partly it's for practical reasons: I, my designer, and a close friend who is the opposite build of me are all 3Xs. It allows us all to test the earliest iterations of our pieces and give really real feedback. 3X is also often the "end of the line" in so-called inclusive sizing, so it made sense to me to start there.
What’s a detail in your pieces that might seem small to someone else, but feels deeply important to you?
The back waistband of our leggings and shorts tapers to a point. That look has become very trendy recently, but for larger bodies with fuller booties, it serves the very real purpose of reducing tension and prevents our leggings from riding down with movement.
What do you hope someone feels the first time they put on Expanse Active?
"Finally!" Maybe with a side of, "It wasn't me!" Or maybe that was just my reaction.
Can you share a little about the design process behind your pieces?
The list of "must haves" for me to pursue this endeavor was not a short list, but I don't feel I had to compromise on anything along the way. Fit: impeccable? Function/quality: on point. Fabric: a custom, four-way-stretch athletic performance textile. Fashion: have you seen the new colors? Factory: certified ethical and sustainable.
What piece in your current collection are you especially excited about right now, and why?
The bike shorts. TBH, I wasn't a shorts person when we started designing them. But I said that about pockets on my leggings, too, until I realized that having a phone in your pocket doesn't have to drag your pants down. Similarly, it turns out I AM a shorts person when the shorts are designed to not ride up into my crotch and chafe me all to hell. AND they have pockets.
What does it mean to you to have Expanse spotlighted and available to shop at Viva Voce?
Community. I believe so strongly in the value of fat community I almost can't speak coherently about it anymore these days. I am always so excited to meet likeminded friends and continue expanding our circle and sharing our experiences.
What do you wish more people understood about bigger bodies and movement?
The size of someone's body tells you nothing about their abilities, goals, or habits.
If you had a megaphone and the whole world was listening, what would you say?
Let fat folks live.
That feels like a down note to end on. But seriously. Fuck this whole "return to heroin chic" bullshit.