Kylie: The Girl Behind the Glitter

We love being surrounded with those who inspire us, which is one of the many reasons we love and respect our girl Kylie! We sat down with her to pick her brain about how she got involved with festival fashion, how her viewpoints help others find confidence, and how she plans to give back to the plus size rave community all while looking absolutely fab!

Model: Kylie Bodysuit: Rolita Couture at IHeartRaves Photographer: @kari.captures

How did you start becoming involved in the EDM scene? 

For as long as I could remember, I enjoyed electronic music. Daft Punk took over during my childhood, but it wasn’t until I was 16 that I found out about raves and yearned to attend them. I went to my first EDM show at 19 and then found out about local raves and started going to those as well. I was never big on Instagram so I was completely an outsider to how in depth the community was on there but it wasn’t until I started Curvy Rave Babes that I eventually found my place in the scene as a model and plus size festival fashion blogger. 

What made you gain interest in festival fashion?

I've always loved fashion, it was my form of self expression and rave wear allowed me to get creative. I can come up with amazing looks and get to be a completely different person each time. I’m much happier and I feel ten times more beautiful when I’m decked out in festival clothing. I never really struggled with my body so it took me awhile to realize that how I present myself may be normal to me, but it’s revolutionary to someone else. 

How would you describe your own personal festival fashion style?

Very much a unicorn. I’m not called the plus size unicorn for nothing! I love all things sequin, holographic and iridescent.The shinier and glitzier the better! 

Model: Kylie Bodysuit: Rolita Couture at IHeartRaves 

Photographer: @kari.captures

What's your go-to festival accessory? 

Definitely glitter, I feel so bland and empty without it. It is essential to who I am. I also LOVE a good kimono or harness. I think it just brings the look together and makes it complete. 

How did you get started with modeling?

It came naturally, I always wanted to model so it was an easy transition after I started reviewing brands on Curvy Rave Babes. 

Model: Kylie Bodysuit: Rolita Couture at IHeartRaves 

Photographer: @kari.captures

What inspired you to start the Curvy Rave Babes page?

For as long as I could remember, my friends encouraged me to start a page for plus size ravers to find outfits. At the time, I was in my “amazon/torrid” phase due to finding nothing in my size but I still manage to look nice with the resources I had. 2017 was a tough year for me so as the new year approached I told myself “2018 is my year and I’m going to do something that brings joy back to my life.” That was when I finally committed to starting the page. Prior to that, I had done a little digging online and realized that not only do we lack rave wear in our sizes, we plus size ravers lacked visibility, and a community to bring us all together. Of all of the body positive rave accounts that came before me, I committed to mine because the messages I received are so heart felt and I was actually helping people. 

What are some other positive impacts that we as followers might not be aware of?

I feel like we’re leaving a positive impact on a lot of these brands as well and spreading the importance of being size inclusive. Plus size women deserve to have options in rave wear. I was able to get two stores to add plus sizes to their shop so I hope to create more of that change. 

Model: Kylie Bodysuit: Rolita Couture at IHeartRaves 

Photographer: @kari.captures

One focus of festival fashion this year has been inclusivity, what are your thoughts on that?

I think it’s about damn time! I can’t tell you how many times I felt discouraged going on websites like iHeartRaves and Rave Ready and not seeing anything available past a size XL. I would always get upset with the stores and never at myself or my body because I genuinely love what I see when I look in the mirror. The body positive movement has been so loud and vocal within the last decade that I think of lot of rave wear brands couldn’t ignore us any longer. We made it abundantly clear that we want rave wear too. 

When shopping for festival fashion, what values do you look for in a brand when deciding to support them?

Representation is so important to me. If you make and sell plus size rave wear there’s no reason why you can’t have plus size models. I want to see what pieces look like on someone with my body type. I want to see that you actually value the people that’s spending their money on your clothes. 

Model: Kylie Bodysuit: Rolita Couture at IHeartRaves 

Photographer: @kari.captures

You have really made a name for yourself in the EDM community, what future plans do you have?

Thank you so much! I noticed that opportunities were limited for plus size women who wanted to model rave wear, or they didn’t know where to start. So naturally being a self starter, I figured the next big step for the page is to start organizing photo shoots with brands and women across the country. My first major photo shoot will be in LA and it just so happens to be a collaboration with @RBfunkycreations and Lizzie Rose. That’ll be happening some time after Burning Man so I can’t wait to see it all come together. We all worked so hard on this. My goal with these photo shoots are to show women that we can be models and festival fashionistas too! 

What is a piece of advice you could give girls who may be afraid of modeling or looking for confidence?

I always advise people to buy the pieces they are afraid to wear. You won’t conquer your fears unless you give it a try. 

Model: Kylie Bodysuit: Rolita Couture at IHeartRaves 

Photographer: @kari.captures

What’s your favorite part about being a Rolita Rebel?

My absolute favorite part about being a Rolita Rebel is knowing that I’m supporting and promoting a brand that genuinely cares about making people of all sizes, genders, and backgrounds look and feel beautiful. Rolita Couture was the first brand I shopped from that made me feel like the sparkly unicorn I was destined to be. But more importantly, I love the woman behind the company. Rosa has been nothing but supportive of me since we discovered each other last year. I owe a lot of my success to her. A huge part of me wants to make her proud and see my growth. It is such an honor being a Rolita Rebel.