Plus-sized, projector sewist, teacher and pattern designer Aaronica Cole shares how the gift of a sewing machine set her life on a very different path
Written by Sadia Nowshin
Aaronica Cole isn’t going to let anyone tell her what clothes she should or should not wear.
As someone who is plus-sized, the pattern maker and sewist notes how few options shops tend to offer for her in the styles she likes — so, to get around that, she makes her own versions. “I like to wear the things that people say that I shouldn't be wearing,” she says, which includes “crop tops, body con dresses and fitted clothing. Instead of waiting for those silhouettes to be offered, I decided to make them myself.”
Aaronica’s dedication to improving accessibility to fashion through her patterns and dressmaking has also driven her to help her own children feel more comfortable in their bodies, too.
“It's really important to me that they not feel like they have to shrink in order to fit their clothing,” she says − and she makes sure each of their different styles are catered for. She even creates different inspiration boards on Canva for each child, combining screenshots and existing styles on Pinterest for her kids to approve before she sets out on making their clothes for the season.
Her children have also led to the creation of what Aaronica identifies as her favourite project to date: the Aurora playsuit, named after her middle daughter. Not only is it “one of the best-drafted patterns that I've created,” but it’s also “such an easy wear” and a go-to outfit for her everyday wear.
EMBRACING THE CHALLENGE
Patterns that offer a challenge have also become prized pieces − particularly, Aaronica says, when it comes to menswear.
“Menswear is something that is really challenging for me because the ease in men's patterns is different than the ease in women's patterns,” she says. But, far from shy away from the challenge, she has embraced it. So far, she’s used her husband as a muse and made a button-down shirt that she was “really really proud of,” and recently crafted him a pullover jumper, reminiscent of a style he would wear when the two were dating. “It really makes me feel good that I'm able to re-create some of his favourite looks that I have loved on him,” she adds.
Despite its differences, menswear actually hasn’t been Aaronica’s most difficult project so far. “Hands-down, the hardest project for me was the bustier pattern that I created
