Marie Denee, creator of the digital publication, The Curvy Fashionista, is an established and respected voice in the plus size fashion arena. With over eleven years of experience, Marie has made it her mission to continuously show women that they can be Curvy, Confident, and Chic. In 2008, enter The Curvy Fashionista. While cutting her teeth in retail, Marie realized that when it came to great stylish clothing for plus size women, their options were limited. Armed with MBA in Marketing, fashion experience, and a passion for empowering women of every shape and size, Marie launched the popular digital publication. Through the Curvy Fashionista, Marie and her team, showcase plus size wardrobe and style options from the industry’s top fashion brands, as well as shares news and events for curvy women in a world where fashion for this community is often overlooked. In 2015, Marie created the TCFStyle Expo, an annual plus size shopping event where women & men bond over style, entertainment and empowerment. Sought after for her fashion and styling advice for the curvy fashion forward woman, Marie was honored as The Root 100's List of the Most Influential African Americans for 2017. She also took home the award for The Network Journal’s Top 40 under 40 for 2018. She has also been featured in Ebony, Essence, Lucky Magazine, Glamour Magazine, Black Enterprise Magazine, Marie Claire Italia, The London Times, The Wall Street Journal, Madame Noire, Shape Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, and more Partnered with top retailers and brands such as Nordstrom, Marina Rinaldi, Old Navy, Gwynnie Bee, Eloquii, Ashley Stewart, Chevrolet, and other brands through hosting, consulting, and strategic partnerships. http://www.mariedenee.com http://thecurvyfashionista.com

Susan Moses is the doyenne of plus fashion, steeped in the cultures of retail, editorial, advertising, film, television and music. Her expertise expresses a complete understanding that fashion is not just about loving clothes, but about knowing how to wear them. During an illustrious career Susan’s styling legacy has included pop music and R&B darlings, country music royalty and Hollywood icons and newcomers. Her provenance includes creative director of the Queen Latifah-inspired Curvations line, Fashion Stylist of the Year Award during Full Figure Fashion Week, style ambassador for legacy brand Lane Bryant and the premier Canadian retailer, Pennington’s, co-host of HSN's uber popular "The List with Colleen Lopez” and numerous guest fashion editor positions. Her book, The Art of Dressing Curves: The Best Kept Secrets of a Fashion Stylist (HarperCollins) is filled with high fashion images and prescriptive information for building an essential wardrobe, InStyle Magazine deemed it the Bible for plus fashion and it was chosen by fashion education scholars as one of the 21 best fashion books of all time. In 2016, Susan launched the Body Inclusivity & Diversity Summit, the inaugural event of her initiative, Empowering Women NYC, at a stellar event at the United Nations. In 2017 she executive produced The Business of Curves: Fashion’s Future, a panel discussion and fashion exhibition playing to a full house of industry professionals and students at the Fashion Institute of Technology’s Dean’s Forum. And in 2019 she had the extraordinary pleasure of executive producing the “Curvy Girls Rock” series. 2023 was an exciting year for Susan, with an appearance on the SHERRI | Daytime Talk Show, and as a featured guest speaker at Pratt Institute’s “Black Dress Talks: Black Style”. And in 2025 Susan was featured in the 10th Anniversary Black Dress II: Homage exhibition for her contributions as a celebrity stylist and author. In a business where everyone in it is now known as a celebrity, this arbiter of style celebrates the art of fashion and nothing more.

Simone Gordon – The Black Fairy Godmother Simone Gordon is a powerhouse activist, philanthropist, and community leader dedicated to uplifting marginalized families in crisis. Known as The Black Fairy Godmother, she uses her platform to provide emergency assistance, housing support, and resources for domestic violence survivors, single mothers, and those in need. While pushing resources through to help many in need ;Simone is the caregiver to her son King; thats 14 with severe Autism. After experiencing hardship firsthand, Simone turned her struggles into purpose, founding The Black Fairy Godmother Foundation, a nonprofit that leverages social media and grassroots efforts to provide direct aid to those facing urgent financial and personal crises. Her innovative approach to philanthropy—crowdsourcing donations and mobilizing a vast network of supporters—has saved countless lives and restored hope to families across the country. Through her work, Simone has garnered national recognition, appearing in major media outlets and receiving numerous accolades for her tireless advocacy. She is a champion for Black and Brown women, ensuring they receive the support and opportunities they deserve. Her mission is simple yet profound: to create tangible change by delivering real help in real-time. To learn more about Simone Gordon and her foundation, visit The Black Fairy Godmother Foundation.

Liris Crosse, dubbed “The “Body” & “The Naomi Campbell of Plus”is an model/actress & pioneer in the fashion industry for full-figured women & Black women known for pushing curvy models into mainstream fashion! The Huffington Post named her "Top Ten Most Popular Plus Models" and Dose.com named her one of the "Top 20 Models Destroying Traditional Beauty Standards." She is one of the first plus models to win the model portion of reality series “Project Runway” on season 16. She's graced magazines from American Vogue, Essence, British Cosmopolitan to Vibe as well as done in store campaigns for Lane Bryant& Ashley Stewart. She’s rocked runways for ‘Project Runway’, BET’s ‘Rip The Runway’, Lane Bryant, Patricia Fields, Chuks Collins, Renee Cafaro, Guvanch, Rene Tyler, Dur Doux, Gita Omri, Yutee Rone to name a few! Liris reigned as the spokesmodel for bridal retailer, Maggie Sottero Designs as she changed the landscape of race and size in the bridal industry. She became the first black plus model to walk the prestigious Barcelona Bridal Fashion Week while working with the brand. Liris also made her mark on the video vixen market when she first started modeling. There she created representation for size diversity with features in JayZ’s “Do It Again”, Beenie Man’s “Who Am I”, Lloyd Banks’ “On Fire”, Big Pun’s “It’s So Hard” & Lil Zane’s “Not Tonight” to name a few. She became one of the 1st video vixens inducted into XXL Magazine’s “Eye Candy Hall Of Fame”. Her presence on album covers for Pete Rock’s “Soul Survivor”, plus Platinum Reggae volumes 2&4 garnered her much praise. Liris also became the first plus model to have her own video game character named after her and made in her likeness for Def Jam Icon video game. She’s had many firsts! Lately, Liris has shifted into her acting career where she recurred on “Law&Order: Organized Crime” for season 2 as Officer Tanisha Carling, the lone woman in a bad cop crew. Liris recently shot supporting roles for the films “Miracle On The Precipice”, “Tecie”, “Turn Away” & “Seek No Favor”. She’s also appeared on films and shows like “The Best Man”, “Baby Boy”, “The Wire”, “Law&Order: SVU” to name a few. She has literally done it all with over two decades of industry experience & says modeling/acting is her purpose. It’s allowed her to inspire and motivate women across the world especially via her Life Of A Working Model Bootcamp where she teaches the fundamentals of modeling. Hundreds of models have gone on to sign to modeling agencies and walk major runway shows! Her best selling book , ‘Make The World Your Runway’, has garnered stellar reviews for helping to give everyday people “model confidence” pushing them further into their purpose and is available on Amazon.

Licensed Public Relations Specialist, Communications Strategist, and Pioneer in Plus-Size Fashion for Spanish-Speaking Women Suzanne Ujáque-Guzmán is a renowned public relations professional with over 22 years of experience in Puerto Rico’s communications industry. She is the founder and president of Holistic Marketing & Communications™, a 360° communications agency that specializes in integrated strategies in public relations, advertising, digital marketing, and branding for corporate, government, and nonprofit clients. Through her firm, she has led high-impact institutional campaigns, strategic communication plans, and brand positioning efforts across key sectors such as energy, commerce, health, infrastructure, and tourism. She is also the creator of WepaBox, a successful subscription box launched in 2018 that promotes Puerto Rican products and delivers curated, culturally rooted experiences to customers locally and abroad. In 2013, Suzanne launched SuStyle.com, the first Spanish-language platform dedicated to fashion, beauty, and self-esteem for plus-size women. Since then, she has become a leading voice in the body empowerment movement for curvy women, using her expertise as a communicator and entrepreneur to reshape how plus-size women are represented and celebrated in media and society. In 2017, she created SuStyle Expo, the largest event of its kind in Puerto Rico and Latin America, celebrating plus-size women. With five successful editions, the event has welcomed over 5,000 in-person attendees and reached more than one million people through promotional campaigns and media coverage. She currently leads the digital channel SUStyleTV, where she produces content focused on style, confidence, and inclusive fashion. Suzanne is also the creator and host of the podcast “Un Cafecito con Su”, an inspiring series with over 87 episodes to date, projected to surpass 100 episodes by November 2025. The podcast has received local recognition and has positioned Suzanne as a prominent influencer in the Latin American plus-size fashion scene, with frequent appearances in national press, radio, and television. Suzanne Ujáque-Guzmán is widely recognized as one of the most influential voices in the plus-size fashion industry in Puerto Rico and the Hispanic Caribbean, combining entrepreneurial vision, strategic leadership, and a deep commitment to diversity and inclusion.