Ashley Nell Tipton

Ashley Nell Tipton (born 1991)[1][2] is an American plus-size clothing designer. She is best known for her appearance on season 14 of Project Runway.

Early life

Tipton grew up in Encanto, San Diego.[3] She learned how to sew at the age of 7 from her grandmother.[4] She attended University City High School, and later graduated from Fashion Careers College in 2012.[3]

Tipton was invited to showcase at the 2012 Full Figure Fashion Week in New York. She subsequently quit her retail jobs at Torrid and The Gap.[3]

Career

Tipton launched her first clothing line in 2013.[3] She was working out of her garage when she applied to be on Project Runway. She was cast to be on season 14, which aired in 2015.[5] She was the first designer in the franchise to cater towards plus-sized women, and won the grand-prize of the show.[6]

Tipton's win was contentious. Tim Gunn, despite being a vocal proponent of plus-sized women's wear, panned Tipton's winning collection as "hideous". In an op-ed for The Washington Post, he stated that Tipton's victory "reeked of tokenism."[7]

Following her run on Project Runway, Tipton partnered with JCPenney in 2016 to produce a plus-size clothing line. By 2017, she launched her own brand and started a jewelry line.[2][4]

Personal life

Tipton is Mexican-American. She underwent gastric bypass surgery in 2017, with some fans feeling that she betrayed the fat acceptance movement in doing so.[8]

References

1. Olya, Gabrielle (17 May 2017). "Ashley Nell Tipton Reveals Gastric Bypass Surgery". People. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
2. Chan, Lauren (21 November 2017). "Ashley Nell Tipton Is Launching Her Own Plus-Size Clothing Line". Glamour. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
3. Salaam, Elizabeth (18 May 2016). "Ashley Nell Tipton, Empire Builder". San Diego Reader. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
4. Luppi, Kathleen (28 July 2017). "'Project Runway' winner backs Working Wardrobes' drive for plus-size clothing". Daily Pilot. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
5. Gerson Uffalussy, Jennifer (9 September 2017). "'It's a constant battle being a plus-size designer': Why Ashley Nell Tipton doesn't want your approval". Yahoo Life. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
6. Kelly, Cara. "First look: Project Runway's Ashley Nell Tipton brings plus-sized style to JCPenney". USA TODAY. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
7. Gunn, Tim (8 September 2016). "Tim Gunn: Designers refuse to make clothes to fit American women. It's a disgrace". Washington Post. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
8. Rife, Katie (14 May 2021). "Ashley Nell Tipton both changed and confirmed Project Runway's ideas about plus-size fashion". AV Club. Retrieved 25 January 2025.