March 3, 2025 • 44 mins
Step into the world of fashion with the unstoppable Claire Sulmers, founder of Fashion Bomb Daily. In this captivating episode, Claire shares her incredible journey from a Southern girl facing rejection to a fashion icon redefining representation in the industry. You’ll discover the origins of Fashion Bomb Daily—her platform that empowers women of all sizes to embrace their unique style. Expect heartfelt discussions on overcoming industry expectations, navigating body positivity, and the sheer joy of fashion as a form of self-expression.
Claire offers practical tips on how to find your own style joyfully and affordably—whether it’s through thrifting, shopping small, or discovering gems on Amazon. Throughout our chat, she reminds us of the transformative power of dress and the importance of seeing ourselves reflected in what we wear.
Join us for an enriching conversation that encourages you to unleash your inner style icon. Whether you're searching for motivation or feel like the fashion world isn't for you, Claire's infectious energy and wise insights will inspire you to carve your own path. Fashion is not just for a few; it’s for all of us. Dive in now and take the first step towards embracing and celebrating your style! Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review!
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Speaker 1 (00:20):
Hello, hello, hello and welcome back everybody to In
the Passenger Seat with me,alethea Crimmins.
I hope that y'all are having awonderful week, because I know I
am.
Listen, I had to get cute today, like I had to make sure I look
all right.
Y'all, I look good.
Listen, I had to make sure thatI look good because the person
(00:41):
that is in the passenger seattoday, honey, she is a
fashionista in every sense ofthe word.
She is gorgeous, she is a CEObaby, she is a boss, and if you
do not know who she is, youalready know.
Run that clip baby.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
Clorella, she's on, it's 7 pm.
Come, she's awesome.
Hey, it's 7 pm, friday.
It's 95 degrees.
I ain't got no nigga and nonigga ain't got me.
Let's go.
I'm about to show my ass.
These niggas love to freak.
How the fuck is that your man,if he right here with me, turned
(01:20):
up with my niggas, turned upwith my bitches, turned up with
my niggas, turned up with mybitches, turned up in my shows?
Yeah, cause I got that bleak.
60,000 fans came to see me domy dance, got a million and one
haters and they all can kiss myass.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Baby, listen, listen, listen.
I am hype, I am so hype, baby,introducing the CEO of Fashion,
bob Daly, the beautiful, thefashionista herself, the
phenomenal, claire Salmon.
How are you?
I am good.
(01:55):
How are you gorgeous?
I'm amazing, I love watchingthat.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
I was getting tired of watching it.
I was like, yeah, yeah, yeah,I'm from the South, so I love a
little, you know turn up music.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
Yeah, I am a Louisiana Southern girl.
Listen, I like a good littlespice on it.
Yes, so for anybody that doesnot know who you are, can you
please tell everybody who youare and what you do?
Speaker 3 (02:31):
Yes, so I'm so excited to be here on Pimpin'
Positivity podcast.
You are just a bomb.
I love meeting you.
But about me?
Okay, about me.
I'm Claire Summers.
I'm CEO and founder of FashionBomb Daily.
Fashion Bomb Daily we're onInstagram, we're online.
We're where you go to find outwhat all your favorite
celebrities are wearing Beyonce,lori, harvey, glorilla.
(02:55):
If we haven't posted yourfavorite artists, you can ask us
a question and we'll find itfor you.
In addition to coveringcelebrity style, almost every
day we also have events.
We have fashion shows where weshowcase emerging designers.
We have an award show where weuplift people behind the scenes
(03:15):
and on the scenes.
But you know, I'm just aSouthern girl, raised in Stone
Mountain, georgia, who alwaysloved fashion, couldn't find a
way in, was told I didn't havethe look.
I was too curvy, I was too justnot what the industry was
looking for at the time, and soI created my own website,
fashion Bomb Daily.
That was 19 years ago, and hereI am today with you, so excited
(03:39):
to be here with you.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
God like that is a motivational story within itself
.
So so you said, and so manypeople I know there's so many
people watching and listeningthey go to do the same thing Me
myself, like I.
I love to look good, I lovefashion.
(04:01):
But people will say, oh well,you can't be fashionable because
you don't have the look likeyou, look like this and we want
you to look a certain way.
And the fact that you said youknow what?
I don't need to be in your lane, I'm going to make my own you
(04:23):
got to, you can't find a seat atthe table yeah, how did that
come?
come about?
Like were, were you always thethe one that would make her own
lane?
Speaker 3 (04:33):
I don't.
No, I don't think, I don'tthink so, but I think what
happened was, uh, you know, Ithink everything is kind of a
confluence of opportunity andjust like kind of what's going
on in the industry.
But I started off when bloggingwas brand new.
Before social media, beforeInstagram, before Twitter,
(04:56):
before Tumblr, there was thisnew hot thing called blog spots
or blogs and people.
When I started in 2006 2006people didn't even have their
own websites generally reallyokay yeah.
So I started off in printmagazines, was sending out my
resume to all the the voles andthe harper's bazaar and despite
(05:18):
me having a great experience anda great degree, I went to
Harvard and all these thingsthey would not give me an
interview.
I couldn't get an informationalinterview, they wouldn't.
I couldn't get a job in fashionand I just thought that was
crazy.
I'm like, I did all this work,I did everything I was supposed
to do, I did all the internships, I got a great education and
(05:39):
you're trying to tell me I can'tbe an editorial assistant at a
fashion magazine.
It just made no sense.
Trying to tell me I can't be aneditorial assistant at a
fashion magazine, it just madeno sense.
So I kept chugging along, but Ijust decided to start a blog
because it was my passion.
It was something that I reallywanted to do.
I had a full-time job.
I was a fact checker, like aresearcher, at a magazine, and
it wasn't fulfilling to me, andso I just decided to start
(06:01):
something as a hobby.
And so Fashion Bomb started offas a hobby, something I did on
the weekend, something I didafter work, and I started
writing, and thankfully thereare lots of women like me and
you and so many people watching,who love fashion, who don't see
themselves represented in thesemagazines, who are overlooked
(06:23):
right, who are overlooked andundervalued.
But we spend, you know, we liketo look cute, so why shouldn't
we have something that speaks tous and something that thinks
about women of different sizes,different tones, different
backgrounds, like something likethis was just oh so necessary,
and so I'm just really gratefulfor the journey, Because listen,
(06:43):
I spend my coins on clothingand it's like when it's.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
It is very disheartening when you go online
or anywhere to find somethingand you want to see it on
somebody that looks like you.
You want to see it on some onsomebody that looks like you
like, because it's like okay, Isee how it looks on this body,
(07:13):
but that's not how my body lookand the people like I'm just
gonna be real.
When you do go to the plus sizesection, even online, you don't
see actual plus size women init and it's like this this isn't
plus size.
(07:33):
Like what, what?
What's her fupa?
At what?
What?
Where?
Where is her fupa?
I want to see the fupa.
I want to see the like thunderthighs.
I want to see the like thunderthighs.
I want to see it because that,cause, that's how I look like.
Give me a girl with hips, giveme a girl with curves, like
that's, that's what I want tosee your, your clothes on and to
(07:57):
be like they.
I see if you are over a size 12, then you're seen as plus size,
right, and a lot of women havean issue with that because
they're like well, yeah, but no,because her body is amazing.
(08:19):
So why would she be labeledplus size.
Why would she be labeled plussize?
Speaker 3 (08:30):
Like in the fashion industry, someone that looks
like you would be labeled plussize correct, a thousand percent
, yeah, and I'm like I've been asize 10, 12 my whole life and
definitely considered plus size.
People used to bully me onlineReally, yeah, I used to get it
back, like you know, beforeInstagram, when you could kind
of look up people's pages andyou could look at their pictures
(08:52):
.
People would just leaveanonymous comments all the time
and say kind of awful things tome, but I continued to put
myself out there because I knew,and everything that I do now is
for that young girl, that youngClaire, who was looking to be
in the fashion and beautyindustry and just didn't see
herself represented and justneeded some sort of blueprint,
(09:14):
somebody that they could look to, and not just me, but every
woman that I feature on FashionBomb Daily.
I hope that they can just be arole model, just an example of
what is possible and that thereare no barriers to your success
and, you know, thank God forInstagram, thank God for YouTube
(09:37):
and TikTok, because it's justallowed so many people who felt
so undervalued and overlooked tofind their tribe, find their
audience, like things don't haveto be dictated anymore by these
big magazines.
They can actually, you know,just create their own thing,
create their own way and forge apath ahead for the next
(09:59):
generation, and that is soimportant.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
Now I heard you say that you got bullied, like
people would leave negativecomments.
How did you Like?
(10:25):
How do you like?
How did that affect you?
How did you deal with it?
How did you push forward fromthat?
Because that's hurtful.
Whoever said that words don'thurt, I can slap them in the
face because you're lying,because words hurt.
I would rather you hit mebecause words last a long time.
Speaker 3 (10:46):
Yeah, words can start wars.
So you know there are peoplethat say those are fighting.
Fighting words, yeah, like youdon't have to hit somebody.
You can actually say somebodythat say something that can
wound somebody just as deeply.
But you know, I'm very gratefulthat I grew up I don't even
want to tell my age, butwhatever you can assume up, I
(11:07):
don't even want to tell my age,but whatever you can, you can
assume how old I am.
I'm a woman of a certain age,um, and I grew up before social
media.
So I think that me having avery strong rooting in who I am
and having that confidencebefore, like I wasn't bullied,
growing up like you know, and Ialways had a fine time, you know
, making friends, and you know Ihad my, my sense of self and my
(11:29):
confidence pre-social media.
Thank God anybody growing up inthe social media age like.
just let us pray, because youknow, it's hard and there's so
many people now it's like globalpeople from around the world
offering their opinion on you.
I think what I did, my copingmechanism, was to not read the
comments, which is something Idon't know.
(11:50):
If everybody does that, buteven now when I post things, I
don't read the comments.
I just post and I walk away.
Maybe a day later I'll come inand I'll start responding to
comments, but don't read thecomments.
But I continue to just pushmyself and I continue to go like
I don't let people who don'tread the comments, but I
continue to just push myself andI continue to go Like I don't
let people who don't know me orpeople who might not want the
best for me affect how I am andhow I carry myself or whether or
(12:15):
not I'm gonna decide to putmyself out there.
Like I just kept putting myselfout there, kept refining and
becoming better at what I didand not really caring what other
people had to say, because it'snot about them anyway, it's
it's written.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
It's not about them, it is about us.
So stop listening to everybodyelse.
So okay.
So you said that fashion wasnot your first love.
So you went to Harvard and youwere actually like, you majored
in romance language or AfricanAmerican literature.
So was journalism your yourfirst love, because you you
(12:55):
worked for Vogue and Essence andso like was, was that your
first love?
And then you transitioned intofashion.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
Yeah, like I've always loved to write, writing
is my jam.
I have journals from when I wasseven years old and fourth
grade, like this girl stole mysticker, like I literally still
have the journals from when Iwas a little bombshell Up until
this day now.
Writing for me is therapeutic,like I write in a journal at
(13:26):
least once a week, and so myfirst love was writing.
And then, once I got into theindustry and journalism, it's
like what are you going to writeabout?
And I initially thought Iwanted to write about politics,
because I did major inAfrican-American studies and I'm
very aware of race and politicsand things like that, and so I
wanted to work in politics.
(13:46):
But I got my first internship atUpscale Magazine in Atlanta,
georgia, and they only hadopening in the fashion
department.
And so I started off in fashionand realized that I really
liked it.
And, to be honest with you, incollege I was never one of those
people that would wear sweatsor pajamas to class, like me and
my friends.
(14:06):
We were dressing up, we, wewere wearing sneakers.
They were like colorcoordinated.
Speaker 1 (14:13):
So basically what you are saying is you have always
been that girl.
Speaker 3 (14:20):
I have.
I've always.
You know, I've always loved toshop Like.
I always love to like putthings together.
And I remember in those oldjournals I would have lists of
things I would want to buy and Iwould watch things like Moesha
or watch Aaliyah in that videoand start to write down.
I'm like, okay, I need a vest,like a brown vest, and then I
would go out and put thingstogether.
(14:41):
And I also remember in juniorhigh I was going to a new school
and people were kind of like myfamily didn't have a lot of
money at the time and I rememberI was wearing kind of like this
uniform of clothing and onegirl she made fun of me for
wearing the same jeans liketwice a week or something, and I
just remember it made me feelso bad.
(15:01):
And so I decided to go shoppingwith my mother and we lived on
like I went to school on therich side of town.
I did not live on that side oftown, but on my side of town the
stores like the gap, let's say,for example, which was big back
in the day, everything that myricher counterparts were buying
(15:23):
was like on sale on my part oftown.
So I would go there, I would buyeverything, I'd go to school
and people would be like youdress so cute and they assumed
that I was rich because of theclothing that I wore.
But it was kind of like thatconfidence boost.
A lot of people say likefashion can be like armor,
fashion can help your mood, andthat's what really clothes were
(15:44):
for me as I was coming out yesit was always one of those
things in the background, but Inever thought that I could have
a job in fashion like I didn'teven think about.
Oh, I want to be a fashionwriter one day.
It's just started off withwriting.
And then I was like, okay, letme go into this other passion of
mine, which is shopping inclothes.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
Now being that you were labeled as too curvy or too
plus size for the fashion world.
A lot of us like me.
I had to learn how to dress formy body and that took some time
for my body, and that took sometime, like I had to actually
(16:31):
sit there and study my body andsee what looks good on me, what
does not look good on me, howhow to match this with this so
that this part doesn't lookbigger than that.
So how?
How do you?
Because you, girl, I follow youand your fashion is insane,
like it is insane.
(16:51):
How did you learn how to justdress your body and make
everything that you put on yourbody look amazing?
Thank, you.
Speaker 3 (17:03):
I probably deleted the one that don't look amazing.
I think it's like a lot oftrial and error, you know, and I
think I, when people hear thatyou write about fashion, because
at the very base of it I'm awriter, and then I'm like a
fashion writer, but a lot ofpeople assume that I'm a stylist
, which I'm not.
You know, I write aboutstylists.
(17:24):
I thought so too.
Not a.
I mean, I could style like myhome girl, like one of my
friends, she's a lawyer, she'sgoing to the Oscars and I'm like
, okay, I can style you, but I'mnot gonna be like I'm gonna
style Beyonce or something like.
There are stylists who do thisfor work.
But I think how I found ithonestly, is by working with
different stylists and kind ofseeing what resonates and what
(17:47):
doesn't and thinking aboutproportions and also
understanding okay, I have bigboobs, so what are we going to
do?
Okay, maybe we're V-necks,maybe we're off the shoulder.
What's my best asset?
My legs.
Okay, let me show my legs, youknow, just thinking about, like,
what are your best assets?
What do you feel comfortable,accentuating and working with
that and then being okay withtrying, and of me, I'm very kind
(18:10):
of a classic girl.
I'm preppy.
I don't like to change a lot ofthings but, working in fashion,
(18:37):
I've kind of had to play arounda lot with different hairstyles
, hair textures, clothing,different types of brands to
really kind of figure out whatworks for me.
And it's, you know, an ongoingjourney.
Have fun with it.
Speaker 1 (18:52):
Because I.
So you said that you are atop-heavy girl, so like what do
you wear for well?
Not me, because it's not me,because I'm not sorry, god, not
me.
Speaker 3 (19:11):
But she didn't kiss at all.
No, you know there's.
There's, like you know,positives and negatives to
either one.
You know the, the girls withthe.
I'm a size h, I want to say 34h or something.
We have our own struggles, youknow like you can't always wear
the because the buttons havebeen open, or you can't always
(19:32):
wear like.
You can't wear a lot of thingsbackless dresses, things like
this.
You have to rig it up and boobtape maybe, if you want to, or
you know there are.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
There are different struggles, they're just
depending so so like for for forall of the big, the like, big
boobie girlies.
What, what?
What looks good on you, likewhat?
What would you say to all mytop heavy girls that they should
wear?
That that would look good andwould compliment them that we
(20:17):
should always talk aboutshapewear.
Speaker 3 (20:18):
start with a good bra , like a good bra, and don't,
unfortunately, for women withlarger busts, that that means
you're probably going to bespending a little bit more for
your bra, but it's worth theinvestment and go in, get fitted
.
I like to go to places likeIris Lingerie in Brooklyn also
there's a place called Rigby andPeller, I think.
They're nationwide, um, but goand get fitted for some good
shapewear that kind offoundational stuff is so
(20:40):
important and get new bras everysix months.
And then I'd say V-necks, scoopnecks, anything that kind of
opens it up.
Jacket I used to wear blazersall the time, even if it was hot
.
Yeah, because blazers they kindof minimize, they add another
dimension, anything that kind ofshows a little bit of skin, I
(21:01):
think kind of reduces it a bit.
But then again I also wear liketurtlenecks, no problem, and I
think it really depends.
I think the general rule isblazers, v-necks, scoop necks,
wrap tops, things like that.
Speaker 1 (21:15):
that now you said, so I'm gonna, because I I kind of
felt like, oh, you, you said getbras every six months, yeah,
it's hard.
Speaker 3 (21:29):
I'm due for a new bra child.
Well, you know it lapses andyou're like this is fine, Listen
.
Speaker 1 (21:37):
I've been having some bras since last year.
Now you're going to throw thoseaway.
Throw them away, it's okay, andthey are holding on for their
life, but I will not get rid ofthem.
We listen and we don't judge.
We listen and we don't judge.
We listen and we don't judge.
Okay, we listen and we don'tjudge.
(22:02):
I feel like I'm being judgedbecause, because I have bra
since like 2023 but I'm holdingon to them.
Speaker 3 (22:11):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
Because they're comfortable.
Speaker 3 (22:19):
We listen and we don't judge.
Okay, we listen and we don'tjudge.
We listen and we don't judge.
But you know what, like thewhole thing, like it really
depends on the look you're goingfor I'm not actually wearing my
shapewear because I was like,oh, let's just back up, I don't
have to do it.
But the whole undergarmentthing is like, oh, let's just
back up, I don't have to do it.
But the whole undergarmentthing is like I think probably
the most important thing when itcomes to curvy women, like
(22:40):
getting those foundationalgarments I think are the start
of any amazing look.
Speaker 1 (22:50):
And some women are like, oh no, but I feel like you
want to look like you knowyou're all put together Because,
listen, I love, especially withcertain dresses and clothing
like you don't want all thoselumps and bumps to show Honey, I
want to be.
I want to look like a Cokebottle.
(23:11):
I want to look like a Cokebottle.
So shapewear is my bestie, soso, so I can be when, when I
need to be, and my girls can beto my neck.
You have worked with the like,you have worked with everybody
(23:36):
and I love that your fashionshow is so diverse.
How did that come about?
Like, how did the Fashion BombDaily fashion show or the Bomb
fashion show, how did that comeup?
Speaker 3 (23:58):
bomb fashion show.
How did that come up, the bombfashion show?
Yeah, so we're having our nextbomb fashion show September 13th
.
So you got.
Everybody is welcome to joinyou.
Yeah, you're welcome to join,um.
But I came up with the bombfashion show and all of our
events because when I was firstcoming up in the industry, I
wanted I wasn't wasn't gettingyou know the interviews or
anything but I still wanted totry to find a way to be involved
(24:18):
in the fashion industry in someway.
And I remember New York FashionWeek coming around and being
like dying, like literally beinglike there are all these
fashion shows happening, thereare all these fashion
professionals in New York City.
I don't have an invitation, Idon't even know.
Like anybody I could ask for aninvitation and it was just it
(24:39):
was.
It was killing me because I hadthis passion, but just no way to
gain entry and I would dothings like go to museums or if
there was a free talk at thelibrary, I would go to that talk
or I would sign up.
That's how I actually first metAndre Lantali.
He was giving a talk at somemagazine on Upper East Side and
I went and I met him and I wasdying, but I'm just like there
(25:00):
was nothing really available.
And in general, I think in thefashion industry it's invite
only, it's exclusive.
Even people like me who've beenworking in the industry for 19
years and build up this bigbusiness, I don't get invited to
everything.
Speaker 2 (25:14):
I don't get invited to everything I don't get really
to?
Speaker 3 (25:16):
No, I do not.
I do not get invited toeverything.
So there are other likepolitics and other levels to
that, but I wanted to create aspace that was welcoming and
open to anybody who wanted tocome to Fashion Week.
So we have our events there onthe first Saturday of every
Fashion Week.
They're in the evening, so ifyou're from out of town, you can
(25:38):
fly in, you can make it adestination for you and your
friends.
We have different ticket ranges.
You can buy a ticket and youcan come, and there are people
in the industry like Ty Hunteror Misa Hilton who come and you
can interact with them.
We have celebrities.
We had Dini Leakes as a host.
Yes, vivica Fox as a host.
So, these are an opportunity forthose who love fashion who
(26:01):
might not have any industryconnections, don't know anybody
in fashion to actually come toNew York during New York Fashion
Week and have something to puton your calendar, because I
remember back in the day NewYork, I would go to Milan.
I would have no nothing to dofor days because I just didn't
(26:21):
know anybody who can help me getinto shows.
So I think everything that I'vedone with Fashion Bomb Daily is
to create a way for that younggirl I just remember being that
young girl in fashion who lovedit and didn't have a way in so
any way that I can help anybodyin their goal to achieving that
dream I'm going to do and that'salso something we do with our.
We have Fashion Bomb Daily Shop, which is an e-commerce
(26:44):
platform for emergingmulticultural designers, and we
use our platform to help themgenerate sales.
So my goal is to help peoplelike, get into the industry.
I think many platforms are likehow can we keep you out?
But we're like everybody, comein.
Speaker 1 (27:00):
If you're interested and you're passionate, then
there should be no barriers toentry week last year and, I am
(27:21):
not gonna lie, it wasintimidating, for for someone
like me it's especially becauseit wasn't a lot of people that
look like me and I was in,invited to these events and
parties and a piece of me.
It kind of made me feel small,like oh my gosh, like do I
belong in this room?
(27:41):
Like I'm here, but I feel likeI don't belong.
And it kind of brought me backto high school, that like girl
that was just in the corner juststanding there, like looking at
all the like, the like gorgeouspeople, and I'm just like, but
but then I had to remember thatI was invited here, so I belong
(28:07):
in this room like everybody else.
But it's very difficult whenyou look around and that you
don't see anybody that lookslike you.
Yeah, it's very hard.
Do you feel that?
Now the fashion industry shewas like you ain't even got to
(28:29):
finish that question?
It's no, I was like absolutelynot Because it's no.
Speaker 3 (28:34):
Let me just tell you, there are moments and it's
actually.
I'm like, absolutely notbecause it's no.
Let me just tell you, there aremoments and it's actually
happened this month, because somany things happened during
black history month fordifferent black brands and
everybody's like, oh, yeah, yeah, we like black people for this
month anyway, um, and I, I felta way I did.
I felt a way about no shade, noshade.
Yeah, I felt a way.
(28:56):
I felt a way about not beinginvited to certain things or
being in rooms where you don'tsee people that look like you.
But I, over the course of these19 years, by the grace of God,
have been able to build up thiswonderful platform with almost
2.2 million followers.
Like, I am super blessed in somany ways.
And so I and it was a recentrevelation where I'm, I'm just
(29:22):
fine not having that outsidevalidation.
Like I'm where the party's at,like y'all should be trying to
come to what I'm doing Likewhatever you're doing over there
is not as fly if I'm not there.
So I'm doing Whatever you'redoing over there is not as fly
if I'm not there.
I'm sorry, I am the vibe, I'mthe vibe, I'm the vibe and it's
like at this point I feel likeyou can't deny the impact, you
(29:46):
can't deny the influence, and soit's like we're doing something
right over here, like I have areason to be here.
I'm on a mission and anassignment from God to be here,
and either you're with it oryou're not.
And if you're not with it, thenGod bless you.
And if you're with it, let's go.
But I did feel that way for areally long time because I was
(30:08):
just trying so hard for so hardand for so long to be in all
these different rooms and youknow, I'm just like we're going
to have to just create our ownthing over here and it's going
to be fly and eventually you'regoing to be begging to come to
our event.
But at that time we'll be likecome on in, cause we we never
(30:29):
had the door was not closed.
You know what I mean.
But I think that seeing ofoutside validation is human, but
it's not necessary.
And you do have to look at, likewhat I was talking about a
little before, about expressingthat gratitude for what you do
have, looking at all the myriadblessings that are in your life.
Like I started off, you know,just kind of up and comer,
(30:52):
struggling, not having the rightclothes, not having any
connections and literally havebeen able, because of social
media, to create this empire.
And I have events wherecelebrities come and we're
getting shout outs from you knowRihanna and Kim Kardashian, you
(31:13):
know different things like this, where I'm just like I think
we're doing okay and I think,even if you know there aren't a
bunch of people who look like usin the room, or if there are,
if we get the invite or if wedon't like what I'm doing here
is good enough, like I feelvalidated by the people who
support me, those who love me,those who express that
(31:33):
appreciation for me.
And if you don't, you don't Godbless you, yeah.
Speaker 1 (31:44):
And in the South, when somebody says God bless you
, god bless you, I mean that isour way of saying something else
, but go ahead and say know what?
God bless you.
Okay, just yeah, go ahead, allgirl yeah what is your so I?
I call you this, and I'm prettysure a lot of other people like
(32:08):
if, if you follow her page,claire is a fashionista.
But what is your favorite style?
What?
What's?
What's your like, like favoritething to wear that just makes
you feel like yes, honey, yeswell, you know, I love a good
(32:31):
cat suit.
Speaker 3 (32:32):
Okay, I love a good cat suit mainly because I'm like
lazy, low-key and it's likeone-stop dressing you just put
it on and it's done.
Yeah, maybe you put on a beltor something or a little vest
over, but I love a cat suit.
And it's funny, I went, I wentto New York for New York fashion
(32:53):
week and I didn't.
I waited to the last minute, Ididn't bring like anything, but
I did pack this one Norma Kamalijumpsuit and it has these
little footies on it as well andlike little things for your arm
.
I love Norma Kamali, just ingeneral for easy dressing and
it's affordable.
But I was wearing that littlecat suit everywhere and I'm like
(33:14):
I need this in every color.
Speaker 1 (33:16):
You know you wear it on the plane Like why not?
Because when you find I know me,like why not?
Because when you find I know me, if I find something that that
I like, I need it in every color.
In every color, I need itbecause I have to wear y'all
gonna get sick of me in thisjumpsuit.
(33:36):
Yeah, y'all gonna get sick ofme.
Now I also noticed that you area a jacket girl, like you know
much like the like furs and thejackets and it.
I love a dramatic look and someof your looks are like iconic,
(34:00):
like you had this I think it'sin the clip.
It was a black dress and it hadbig sleeves.
That kind of went around ohyeah, I love that.
Speaker 3 (34:11):
I love that.
Like that's so funny.
My mother, my mother, was notin fashion.
I mean, it really comes from my.
My grandfather was a tailor inthe Bahamas.
He used to make suits for, youknow, funerals.
He had a tailor shop where hemade men's clothing and that's
where my mother learned how tosew.
So my mother, she used to makeclothes for me.
(34:33):
She went to the high school offashion industries in New York.
But it's just so funny.
My mother has great taste andit probably it all trickles down
from my grandfather through mymother to me.
But my mother, she's like I,when I go places, I want to
blend in.
My mother says this and thenI'm like when I go places, I
want to stand out.
Speaker 2 (34:50):
Yes, I want to be best dressed.
Speaker 3 (34:53):
I want to be ridiculous.
I want people to be like thisClaire, like what's she gonna do
next?
But I just think it's fun.
I'm like I think life is tooshort to wear boring clothes and
just have fun with it.
Why not like?
You literally only live once,so it brings me joy.
And it's another strange thing,like when people are like I
(35:14):
like your outfit, I love that, Ilove that and kind of I kind of
dress so that I can give.
So people could be like, oh, Ilike your outfit.
And if they don't, I'm likeokay, let me try it.
Speaker 1 (35:24):
I thought that I was the only one that did that.
I love it Like.
I love especially as a likeplus size woman, because people
swear that you can only wearcertain things when you're plus
size.
So I like to dress so thatpeople can say oh girl, you look
(35:46):
good, I'm like, thank you, youcan too.
Like I like to be a likewalking billboard for plus size
women.
Speaker 3 (35:56):
Yeah, you dress to impress.
I love it.
Yes, I love people are likewell, sometimes I'll get people.
They're like are you a rapper,are you a singer?
And I'm like, no, you know.
But I'm like when people arelike, oh, what do you do?
Do you work in fashion, youknow and I think that's a part
of it too Like always kind ofbeing a walking billboard for
your brand you represent.
(36:17):
So that's a part of it as well.
So that's a part of it as well.
Speaker 1 (36:20):
So, can you tell us what you have coming up, because
I know that you already have abook, but you also have other
projects coming up as well.
Speaker 3 (36:32):
Yeah, so the biggest thing is our Bomb Fashion Show,
which is September 13th 2025.
You can get tickets now atthebombfevaporatecom.
We're also going to be doing uma summer spring summer brunch
and dinner series.
We're going to do somethingcalled fashion bomb talks.
I have my podcast coming outvery soon, okay, and I'm
(36:57):
currently pitching my secondbook and I'm actually glad you
asked me that, because I've hadthis email drafted to this one
book agency and I haven'tpressed send because I'm like
hesitating and why I don't know.
So this is, this is you'reexactly what I do, we talk to.
I know I'm going to press sendand pray on it, but you know,
(37:18):
there's a lot that I want to doin not a short period of time,
because next year will be 20years of me doing Fashion Bomb
Daily and in my mind I was goingto take a pause mini retirement
, but maybe at 25, you know,because there's a lot more that
I want to do and a lot more thatI want to contribute to the
culture and I think it's neededand I think it's needed.
(37:48):
Like I think that women of color, women of different shapes and
sizes deserve a place where theycan feel welcome on the web,
and so I'm going to just keepgoing until I can't go anymore.
I'm excited for the next one tofive years.
Speaker 1 (37:58):
You definitely inspire me.
Like you definitely inspire me.
Like you definitely inspire me,I love your fashion.
I was going to ask you right,quick, for all the girls that do
love fashion but maybe we can'tafford all the high-end brands.
(38:20):
Like we can't, you know, afford.
Afford all the high-end brands.
Like we can't, you know, afford.
Where would you suggest that wefind our clothes to be just as
fashionable but at a lower cost?
Speaker 3 (38:34):
um, amazon, I shop on amazon all the time.
Honey, this from amazon, theseare from amazon.
It's so funny.
Yeah girl, my friends are likethis.
I'm one of the one friend who'sobsessed with the real
housewives and she's like thisis where they buy all their
jewelry.
I'm like I bought my jewelryfrom amazon.
Where else?
I like going to kind of smallerdesigners um, I have a few
(38:58):
items from hanifa, like smallerBlack designers, like Hanifa,
just for example.
I'm trying to think where elseto shop Zara.
I don't even know if Topshop'saround anymore I don't think so,
but I shop anywhere.
Zara.
H&m, yes, fashion Nova, hello,like honey, fashion.
Speaker 1 (39:24):
Nova.
Yes, fashion Nova.
Hello, like honey, I am aFashion Nova girl.
Speaker 3 (39:29):
They have a lot of cute stuff and their Nova Lux
line is really nice, but eventheir regular line, I love
Fashion Nova.
But there's so many places andI think you know getting the
basics from Amazon and thenoccasionally you know splurging
on one or two pieces.
But I really feel like the waveof the next generation is not
(39:49):
going to be spending a bunch ofmoney on clothes, maybe on shoes
and bags, maybe jewelry as well.
But I think you can find greatstyle at any price point and I
really strongly believe that.
Speaker 1 (40:03):
So, before we let you go, if you had any advice for
girls that feel like I want toget into fashion, like I want to
be more fashionable, but Idon't know if, if I can like, I
(40:28):
don't know if, if, if, if Iwould look good, like what?
What would you tell the girlthat needs to have more self
esteem to just be who they areand just dress however they want
to?
Speaker 3 (40:41):
Oh, you know, find your online muses, follow pages
like your page, follow FashionBomb Daily, find people who
inspire you, who style you like.
See if you can kind of likerecreate it in your own way.
But I think there's so muchinspiration online and so just
kind of like plug into those andthen don't follow the people
(41:02):
who make you feel bad or feelsmall or maybe they're not kind
of, they're not making you feelgood about yourself.
But just continue to findinspiration online in your
neighborhood and just try.
Don't be afraid to try newthings.
Try new silhouettes, dress up,dress down, just do whatever you
want, but just have fun with it.
Don't take it too seriously.
(41:23):
Don't worry about the likes orthe comments or the feedbacks.
At the end of the day, do whatmakes you happy and do what
makes your heart sing.
Like this dress today, Iprobably shouldn't be wearing it
no, but I love it.
Speaker 1 (41:40):
I love me a good like shoulder dress.
Speaker 3 (41:43):
I don't even know how to do this properly, but I just
love the color, Like this is myfavorite color, so it just
makes me feel happy.
So I think at the end of theday, a lot of people when they
think about fashion, they thinkabout judgment or people like
maybe looking down on you orsomething.
But kind of shift the focustowards what makes you happy,
what makes you feel good rightnow, and kind of lean in that
(42:06):
direction, start there and thenkind of everything will unfold
from there.
Speaker 1 (42:10):
I love it, I love it, I, I love you.
Thank you for gracing us withyour gorgeousness.
Thank you for having me, ofcourse, anytime, girl.
I I love this dress, like Ilove a good off the shoulder
moment.
So, yes, yes.
So where can our listeners findmore of claire?
(42:39):
Where where of Claire?
Where can we find you?
Where can we follow you?
We want all things you.
Speaker 3 (42:46):
Okay, we have a lot of websites.
Speaker 1 (42:49):
Let's go.
Speaker 3 (42:51):
I'll just start with the top five.
Maybe ClaireSomerscomTheBombLifecom you can follow me
at Claire Somers.
Then we haveFashionBombDailycom at Fashion
Bomb Daily.
Start there and then you'llkind of discover the fashion
bomb world.
We have fashion bomb kids.
We have fashion bomb plus.
We have fashion bomb beautyhair.
We have so many differentthings.
(43:12):
I love it.
Yeah, those are just a fewplaces, and thank you again for
having me.
I love meeting you.
I love your energy.
I'm inspired by you.
I've been telling myself forlike a year that I'm going to
start a podcast.
Speaker 1 (43:26):
Yeah, so let's do it.
Speaker 3 (43:28):
You just never know who you're inspiring out there,
so you're an inspiration to meas well.
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (43:33):
Of course, and anytime that you want to come
back and hop in this passengerseat, you are more than welcome.
Speaker 3 (43:41):
When I get a car, we'll do a sequel.
Speaker 1 (43:44):
Yes, Listen, guys, you have been blessed by the
best, the fashionista herself,ms Claire Somers.
Listen, I need you, ladies, oranybody listening, to know that
you are enough.
You do not need validation fromany body to be the best you
(44:10):
that you can be.
Go out there and have fun.
Just go out there and livedress, be for you, because you
are the one that's looking backat you, so you are the only one
that matters.
So you go out there and you begreat in your own faith, and
then you turn around and begreat in theirs.
(44:31):
Do you understand me?
Now, as you go out there and befabulous honey, like I know you
can be, remember to always havea good day on purpose.
You're welcome.
Hello, hello, hello and welcome back everybody to In
the Passenger Seat with me,alethea Crimmins.
I hope that y'all are having awonderful week, because I know I
am.
Listen, I had to get cute today, like I had to make sure I look
all right.
Y'all, I look good.
Listen, I had to make sure thatI look good because the person
(00:41):
that is in the passenger seattoday, honey, she is a
fashionista in every sense ofthe word.
She is gorgeous, she is a CEObaby, she is a boss, and if you
do not know who she is, youalready know.
Run that clip baby.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
Clorella, she's on, it's 7 pm.
Come, she's awesome.
Hey, it's 7 pm, friday.
It's 95 degrees.
I ain't got no nigga and nonigga ain't got me.
Let's go.
I'm about to show my ass.
These niggas love to freak.
How the fuck is that your man,if he right here with me, turned
(01:20):
up with my niggas, turned upwith my bitches, turned up with
my niggas, turned up with mybitches, turned up in my shows?
Yeah, cause I got that bleak.
60,000 fans came to see me domy dance, got a million and one
haters and they all can kiss myass.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Baby, listen, listen, listen.
I am hype, I am so hype, baby,introducing the CEO of Fashion,
bob Daly, the beautiful, thefashionista herself, the
phenomenal, claire Salmon.
How are you?
I am good.
(01:55):
How are you gorgeous?
I'm amazing, I love watchingthat.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
I was getting tired of watching it.
I was like, yeah, yeah, yeah,I'm from the South, so I love a
little, you know turn up music.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
Yeah, I am a Louisiana Southern girl.
Listen, I like a good littlespice on it.
Yes, so for anybody that doesnot know who you are, can you
please tell everybody who youare and what you do?
Speaker 3 (02:31):
Yes, so I'm so excited to be here on Pimpin'
Positivity podcast.
You are just a bomb.
I love meeting you.
But about me?
Okay, about me.
I'm Claire Summers.
I'm CEO and founder of FashionBomb Daily.
Fashion Bomb Daily we're onInstagram, we're online.
We're where you go to find outwhat all your favorite
celebrities are wearing Beyonce,lori, harvey, glorilla.
(02:55):
If we haven't posted yourfavorite artists, you can ask us
a question and we'll find itfor you.
In addition to coveringcelebrity style, almost every
day we also have events.
We have fashion shows where weshowcase emerging designers.
We have an award show where weuplift people behind the scenes
(03:15):
and on the scenes.
But you know, I'm just aSouthern girl, raised in Stone
Mountain, georgia, who alwaysloved fashion, couldn't find a
way in, was told I didn't havethe look.
I was too curvy, I was too justnot what the industry was
looking for at the time, and soI created my own website,
fashion Bomb Daily.
That was 19 years ago, and hereI am today with you, so excited
(03:39):
to be here with you.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
God like that is a motivational story within itself
.
So so you said, and so manypeople I know there's so many
people watching and listeningthey go to do the same thing Me
myself, like I.
I love to look good, I lovefashion.
(04:01):
But people will say, oh well,you can't be fashionable because
you don't have the look likeyou, look like this and we want
you to look a certain way.
And the fact that you said youknow what?
I don't need to be in your lane, I'm going to make my own you
(04:23):
got to, you can't find a seat atthe table yeah, how did that
come?
come about?
Like were, were you always thethe one that would make her own
lane?
Speaker 3 (04:33):
I don't.
No, I don't think, I don'tthink so, but I think what
happened was, uh, you know, Ithink everything is kind of a
confluence of opportunity andjust like kind of what's going
on in the industry.
But I started off when bloggingwas brand new.
Before social media, beforeInstagram, before Twitter,
(04:56):
before Tumblr, there was thisnew hot thing called blog spots
or blogs and people.
When I started in 2006 2006people didn't even have their
own websites generally reallyokay yeah.
So I started off in printmagazines, was sending out my
resume to all the the voles andthe harper's bazaar and despite
(05:18):
me having a great experience anda great degree, I went to
Harvard and all these thingsthey would not give me an
interview.
I couldn't get an informationalinterview, they wouldn't.
I couldn't get a job in fashionand I just thought that was
crazy.
I'm like, I did all this work,I did everything I was supposed
to do, I did all the internships, I got a great education and
(05:39):
you're trying to tell me I can'tbe an editorial assistant at a
fashion magazine.
It just made no sense.
Trying to tell me I can't be aneditorial assistant at a
fashion magazine, it just madeno sense.
So I kept chugging along, but Ijust decided to start a blog
because it was my passion.
It was something that I reallywanted to do.
I had a full-time job.
I was a fact checker, like aresearcher, at a magazine, and
it wasn't fulfilling to me, andso I just decided to start
(06:01):
something as a hobby.
And so Fashion Bomb started offas a hobby, something I did on
the weekend, something I didafter work, and I started
writing, and thankfully thereare lots of women like me and
you and so many people watching,who love fashion, who don't see
themselves represented in thesemagazines, who are overlooked
(06:23):
right, who are overlooked andundervalued.
But we spend, you know, we liketo look cute, so why shouldn't
we have something that speaks tous and something that thinks
about women of different sizes,different tones, different
backgrounds, like something likethis was just oh so necessary,
and so I'm just really gratefulfor the journey, Because listen,
(06:43):
I spend my coins on clothingand it's like when it's.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
It is very disheartening when you go online
or anywhere to find somethingand you want to see it on
somebody that looks like you.
You want to see it on some onsomebody that looks like you
like, because it's like okay, Isee how it looks on this body,
(07:13):
but that's not how my body lookand the people like I'm just
gonna be real.
When you do go to the plus sizesection, even online, you don't
see actual plus size women init and it's like this this isn't
plus size.
(07:33):
Like what, what?
What's her fupa?
At what?
What?
Where?
Where is her fupa?
I want to see the fupa.
I want to see the like thunderthighs.
I want to see the like thunderthighs.
I want to see it because that,cause, that's how I look like.
Give me a girl with hips, giveme a girl with curves, like
that's, that's what I want tosee your, your clothes on and to
(07:57):
be like they.
I see if you are over a size 12, then you're seen as plus size,
right, and a lot of women havean issue with that because
they're like well, yeah, but no,because her body is amazing.
(08:19):
So why would she be labeledplus size.
Why would she be labeled plussize?
Speaker 3 (08:30):
Like in the fashion industry, someone that looks
like you would be labeled plussize correct, a thousand percent
, yeah, and I'm like I've been asize 10, 12 my whole life and
definitely considered plus size.
People used to bully me onlineReally, yeah, I used to get it
back, like you know, beforeInstagram, when you could kind
of look up people's pages andyou could look at their pictures
(08:52):
.
People would just leaveanonymous comments all the time
and say kind of awful things tome, but I continued to put
myself out there because I knew,and everything that I do now is
for that young girl, that youngClaire, who was looking to be
in the fashion and beautyindustry and just didn't see
herself represented and justneeded some sort of blueprint,
(09:14):
somebody that they could look to, and not just me, but every
woman that I feature on FashionBomb Daily.
I hope that they can just be arole model, just an example of
what is possible and that thereare no barriers to your success
and, you know, thank God forInstagram, thank God for YouTube
(09:37):
and TikTok, because it's justallowed so many people who felt
so undervalued and overlooked tofind their tribe, find their
audience, like things don't haveto be dictated anymore by these
big magazines.
They can actually, you know,just create their own thing,
create their own way and forge apath ahead for the next
(09:59):
generation, and that is soimportant.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
Now I heard you say that you got bullied, like
people would leave negativecomments.
How did you Like?
(10:25):
How do you like?
How did that affect you?
How did you deal with it?
How did you push forward fromthat?
Because that's hurtful.
Whoever said that words don'thurt, I can slap them in the
face because you're lying,because words hurt.
I would rather you hit mebecause words last a long time.
Speaker 3 (10:46):
Yeah, words can start wars.
So you know there are peoplethat say those are fighting.
Fighting words, yeah, like youdon't have to hit somebody.
You can actually say somebodythat say something that can
wound somebody just as deeply.
But you know, I'm very gratefulthat I grew up I don't even
want to tell my age, butwhatever you can assume up, I
(11:07):
don't even want to tell my age,but whatever you can, you can
assume how old I am.
I'm a woman of a certain age,um, and I grew up before social
media.
So I think that me having avery strong rooting in who I am
and having that confidencebefore, like I wasn't bullied,
growing up like you know, and Ialways had a fine time, you know
, making friends, and you know Ihad my, my sense of self and my
(11:29):
confidence pre-social media.
Thank God anybody growing up inthe social media age like.
just let us pray, because youknow, it's hard and there's so
many people now it's like globalpeople from around the world
offering their opinion on you.
I think what I did, my copingmechanism, was to not read the
comments, which is something Idon't know.
(11:50):
If everybody does that, buteven now when I post things, I
don't read the comments.
I just post and I walk away.
Maybe a day later I'll come inand I'll start responding to
comments, but don't read thecomments.
But I continue to just pushmyself and I continue to go like
I don't let people who don'tread the comments, but I
continue to just push myself andI continue to go Like I don't
let people who don't know me orpeople who might not want the
best for me affect how I am andhow I carry myself or whether or
(12:15):
not I'm gonna decide to putmyself out there.
Like I just kept putting myselfout there, kept refining and
becoming better at what I didand not really caring what other
people had to say, because it'snot about them anyway, it's
it's written.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
It's not about them, it is about us.
So stop listening to everybodyelse.
So okay.
So you said that fashion wasnot your first love.
So you went to Harvard and youwere actually like, you majored
in romance language or AfricanAmerican literature.
So was journalism your yourfirst love, because you you
(12:55):
worked for Vogue and Essence andso like was, was that your
first love?
And then you transitioned intofashion.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
Yeah, like I've always loved to write, writing
is my jam.
I have journals from when I wasseven years old and fourth
grade, like this girl stole mysticker, like I literally still
have the journals from when Iwas a little bombshell Up until
this day now.
Writing for me is therapeutic,like I write in a journal at
(13:26):
least once a week, and so myfirst love was writing.
And then, once I got into theindustry and journalism, it's
like what are you going to writeabout?
And I initially thought Iwanted to write about politics,
because I did major inAfrican-American studies and I'm
very aware of race and politicsand things like that, and so I
wanted to work in politics.
(13:46):
But I got my first internship atUpscale Magazine in Atlanta,
georgia, and they only hadopening in the fashion
department.
And so I started off in fashionand realized that I really
liked it.
And, to be honest with you, incollege I was never one of those
people that would wear sweatsor pajamas to class, like me and
my friends.
(14:06):
We were dressing up, we, wewere wearing sneakers.
They were like colorcoordinated.
Speaker 1 (14:13):
So basically what you are saying is you have always
been that girl.
Speaker 3 (14:20):
I have.
I've always.
You know, I've always loved toshop Like.
I always love to like putthings together.
And I remember in those oldjournals I would have lists of
things I would want to buy and Iwould watch things like Moesha
or watch Aaliyah in that videoand start to write down.
I'm like, okay, I need a vest,like a brown vest, and then I
would go out and put thingstogether.
(14:41):
And I also remember in juniorhigh I was going to a new school
and people were kind of like myfamily didn't have a lot of
money at the time and I rememberI was wearing kind of like this
uniform of clothing and onegirl she made fun of me for
wearing the same jeans liketwice a week or something, and I
just remember it made me feelso bad.
(15:01):
And so I decided to go shoppingwith my mother and we lived on
like I went to school on therich side of town.
I did not live on that side oftown, but on my side of town the
stores like the gap, let's say,for example, which was big back
in the day, everything that myricher counterparts were buying
(15:23):
was like on sale on my part oftown.
So I would go there, I would buyeverything, I'd go to school
and people would be like youdress so cute and they assumed
that I was rich because of theclothing that I wore.
But it was kind of like thatconfidence boost.
A lot of people say likefashion can be like armor,
fashion can help your mood, andthat's what really clothes were
(15:44):
for me as I was coming out yesit was always one of those
things in the background, but Inever thought that I could have
a job in fashion like I didn'teven think about.
Oh, I want to be a fashionwriter one day.
It's just started off withwriting.
And then I was like, okay, letme go into this other passion of
mine, which is shopping inclothes.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
Now being that you were labeled as too curvy or too
plus size for the fashion world.
A lot of us like me.
I had to learn how to dress formy body and that took some time
for my body, and that took sometime, like I had to actually
(16:31):
sit there and study my body andsee what looks good on me, what
does not look good on me, howhow to match this with this so
that this part doesn't lookbigger than that.
So how?
How do you?
Because you, girl, I follow youand your fashion is insane,
like it is insane.
(16:51):
How did you learn how to justdress your body and make
everything that you put on yourbody look amazing?
Thank, you.
Speaker 3 (17:03):
I probably deleted the one that don't look amazing.
I think it's like a lot oftrial and error, you know, and I
think I, when people hear thatyou write about fashion, because
at the very base of it I'm awriter, and then I'm like a
fashion writer, but a lot ofpeople assume that I'm a stylist
, which I'm not.
You know, I write aboutstylists.
(17:24):
I thought so too.
Not a.
I mean, I could style like myhome girl, like one of my
friends, she's a lawyer, she'sgoing to the Oscars and I'm like
, okay, I can style you, but I'mnot gonna be like I'm gonna
style Beyonce or something like.
There are stylists who do thisfor work.
But I think how I found ithonestly, is by working with
different stylists and kind ofseeing what resonates and what
(17:47):
doesn't and thinking aboutproportions and also
understanding okay, I have bigboobs, so what are we going to
do?
Okay, maybe we're V-necks,maybe we're off the shoulder.
What's my best asset?
My legs.
Okay, let me show my legs, youknow, just thinking about, like,
what are your best assets?
What do you feel comfortable,accentuating and working with
that and then being okay withtrying, and of me, I'm very kind
(18:10):
of a classic girl.
I'm preppy.
I don't like to change a lot ofthings but, working in fashion,
(18:37):
I've kind of had to play arounda lot with different hairstyles
, hair textures, clothing,different types of brands to
really kind of figure out whatworks for me.
And it's, you know, an ongoingjourney.
Have fun with it.
Speaker 1 (18:52):
Because I.
So you said that you are atop-heavy girl, so like what do
you wear for well?
Not me, because it's not me,because I'm not sorry, god, not
me.
Speaker 3 (19:11):
But she didn't kiss at all.
No, you know there's.
There's, like you know,positives and negatives to
either one.
You know the, the girls withthe.
I'm a size h, I want to say 34h or something.
We have our own struggles, youknow like you can't always wear
the because the buttons havebeen open, or you can't always
(19:32):
wear like.
You can't wear a lot of thingsbackless dresses, things like
this.
You have to rig it up and boobtape maybe, if you want to, or
you know there are.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
There are different struggles, they're just
depending so so like for for forall of the big, the like, big
boobie girlies.
What, what?
What looks good on you, likewhat?
What would you say to all mytop heavy girls that they should
wear?
That that would look good andwould compliment them that we
(20:17):
should always talk aboutshapewear.
Speaker 3 (20:18):
start with a good bra , like a good bra, and don't,
unfortunately, for women withlarger busts, that that means
you're probably going to bespending a little bit more for
your bra, but it's worth theinvestment and go in, get fitted
.
I like to go to places likeIris Lingerie in Brooklyn also
there's a place called Rigby andPeller, I think.
They're nationwide, um, but goand get fitted for some good
shapewear that kind offoundational stuff is so
(20:40):
important and get new bras everysix months.
And then I'd say V-necks, scoopnecks, anything that kind of
opens it up.
Jacket I used to wear blazersall the time, even if it was hot
.
Yeah, because blazers they kindof minimize, they add another
dimension, anything that kind ofshows a little bit of skin, I
(21:01):
think kind of reduces it a bit.
But then again I also wear liketurtlenecks, no problem, and I
think it really depends.
I think the general rule isblazers, v-necks, scoop necks,
wrap tops, things like that.
Speaker 1 (21:15):
that now you said, so I'm gonna, because I I kind of
felt like, oh, you, you said getbras every six months, yeah,
it's hard.
Speaker 3 (21:29):
I'm due for a new bra child.
Well, you know it lapses andyou're like this is fine, Listen
.
Speaker 1 (21:37):
I've been having some bras since last year.
Now you're going to throw thoseaway.
Throw them away, it's okay, andthey are holding on for their
life, but I will not get rid ofthem.
We listen and we don't judge.
We listen and we don't judge.
We listen and we don't judge.
Okay, we listen and we don'tjudge.
(22:02):
I feel like I'm being judgedbecause, because I have bra
since like 2023 but I'm holdingon to them.
Speaker 3 (22:11):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
Because they're comfortable.
Speaker 3 (22:19):
We listen and we don't judge.
Okay, we listen and we don'tjudge.
We listen and we don't judge.
But you know what, like thewhole thing, like it really
depends on the look you're goingfor I'm not actually wearing my
shapewear because I was like,oh, let's just back up, I don't
have to do it.
But the whole undergarmentthing is like, oh, let's just
back up, I don't have to do it.
But the whole undergarmentthing is like I think probably
the most important thing when itcomes to curvy women, like
(22:40):
getting those foundationalgarments I think are the start
of any amazing look.
Speaker 1 (22:50):
And some women are like, oh no, but I feel like you
want to look like you knowyou're all put together Because,
listen, I love, especially withcertain dresses and clothing
like you don't want all thoselumps and bumps to show Honey, I
want to be.
I want to look like a Cokebottle.
(23:11):
I want to look like a Cokebottle.
So shapewear is my bestie, soso, so I can be when, when I
need to be, and my girls can beto my neck.
You have worked with the like,you have worked with everybody
(23:36):
and I love that your fashionshow is so diverse.
How did that come about?
Like, how did the Fashion BombDaily fashion show or the Bomb
fashion show, how did that comeup?
Speaker 3 (23:58):
bomb fashion show.
How did that come up, the bombfashion show?
Yeah, so we're having our nextbomb fashion show September 13th
.
So you got.
Everybody is welcome to joinyou.
Yeah, you're welcome to join,um.
But I came up with the bombfashion show and all of our
events because when I was firstcoming up in the industry, I
wanted I wasn't wasn't gettingyou know the interviews or
anything but I still wanted totry to find a way to be involved
(24:18):
in the fashion industry in someway.
And I remember New York FashionWeek coming around and being
like dying, like literally beinglike there are all these
fashion shows happening, thereare all these fashion
professionals in New York City.
I don't have an invitation, Idon't even know.
Like anybody I could ask for aninvitation and it was just it
(24:39):
was.
It was killing me because I hadthis passion, but just no way to
gain entry and I would dothings like go to museums or if
there was a free talk at thelibrary, I would go to that talk
or I would sign up.
That's how I actually first metAndre Lantali.
He was giving a talk at somemagazine on Upper East Side and
I went and I met him and I wasdying, but I'm just like there
(25:00):
was nothing really available.
And in general, I think in thefashion industry it's invite
only, it's exclusive.
Even people like me who've beenworking in the industry for 19
years and build up this bigbusiness, I don't get invited to
everything.
Speaker 2 (25:14):
I don't get invited to everything I don't get really
to?
Speaker 3 (25:16):
No, I do not.
I do not get invited toeverything.
So there are other likepolitics and other levels to
that, but I wanted to create aspace that was welcoming and
open to anybody who wanted tocome to Fashion Week.
So we have our events there onthe first Saturday of every
Fashion Week.
They're in the evening, so ifyou're from out of town, you can
(25:38):
fly in, you can make it adestination for you and your
friends.
We have different ticket ranges.
You can buy a ticket and youcan come, and there are people
in the industry like Ty Hunteror Misa Hilton who come and you
can interact with them.
We have celebrities.
We had Dini Leakes as a host.
Yes, vivica Fox as a host.
So, these are an opportunity forthose who love fashion who
(26:01):
might not have any industryconnections, don't know anybody
in fashion to actually come toNew York during New York Fashion
Week and have something to puton your calendar, because I
remember back in the day NewYork, I would go to Milan.
I would have no nothing to dofor days because I just didn't
(26:21):
know anybody who can help me getinto shows.
So I think everything that I'vedone with Fashion Bomb Daily is
to create a way for that younggirl I just remember being that
young girl in fashion who lovedit and didn't have a way in so
any way that I can help anybodyin their goal to achieving that
dream I'm going to do and that'salso something we do with our.
We have Fashion Bomb Daily Shop, which is an e-commerce
(26:44):
platform for emergingmulticultural designers, and we
use our platform to help themgenerate sales.
So my goal is to help peoplelike, get into the industry.
I think many platforms are likehow can we keep you out?
But we're like everybody, comein.
Speaker 1 (27:00):
If you're interested and you're passionate, then
there should be no barriers toentry week last year and, I am
(27:21):
not gonna lie, it wasintimidating, for for someone
like me it's especially becauseit wasn't a lot of people that
look like me and I was in,invited to these events and
parties and a piece of me.
It kind of made me feel small,like oh my gosh, like do I
belong in this room?
(27:41):
Like I'm here, but I feel likeI don't belong.
And it kind of brought me backto high school, that like girl
that was just in the corner juststanding there, like looking at
all the like, the like gorgeouspeople, and I'm just like, but
but then I had to remember thatI was invited here, so I belong
(28:07):
in this room like everybody else.
But it's very difficult whenyou look around and that you
don't see anybody that lookslike you.
Yeah, it's very hard.
Do you feel that?
Now the fashion industry shewas like you ain't even got to
(28:29):
finish that question?
It's no, I was like absolutelynot Because it's no.
Speaker 3 (28:34):
Let me just tell you, there are moments and it's
actually.
I'm like, absolutely notbecause it's no.
Let me just tell you, there aremoments and it's actually
happened this month, because somany things happened during
black history month fordifferent black brands and
everybody's like, oh, yeah, yeah, we like black people for this
month anyway, um, and I, I felta way I did.
I felt a way about no shade, noshade.
Yeah, I felt a way.
(28:56):
I felt a way about not beinginvited to certain things or
being in rooms where you don'tsee people that look like you.
But I, over the course of these19 years, by the grace of God,
have been able to build up thiswonderful platform with almost
2.2 million followers.
Like, I am super blessed in somany ways.
And so I and it was a recentrevelation where I'm, I'm just
(29:22):
fine not having that outsidevalidation.
Like I'm where the party's at,like y'all should be trying to
come to what I'm doing Likewhatever you're doing over there
is not as fly if I'm not there.
So I'm doing Whatever you'redoing over there is not as fly
if I'm not there.
I'm sorry, I am the vibe, I'mthe vibe, I'm the vibe and it's
like at this point I feel likeyou can't deny the impact, you
(29:46):
can't deny the influence, and soit's like we're doing something
right over here, like I have areason to be here.
I'm on a mission and anassignment from God to be here,
and either you're with it oryou're not.
And if you're not with it, thenGod bless you.
And if you're with it, let's go.
But I did feel that way for areally long time because I was
(30:08):
just trying so hard for so hardand for so long to be in all
these different rooms and youknow, I'm just like we're going
to have to just create our ownthing over here and it's going
to be fly and eventually you'regoing to be begging to come to
our event.
But at that time we'll be likecome on in, cause we we never
(30:29):
had the door was not closed.
You know what I mean.
But I think that seeing ofoutside validation is human, but
it's not necessary.
And you do have to look at, likewhat I was talking about a
little before, about expressingthat gratitude for what you do
have, looking at all the myriadblessings that are in your life.
Like I started off, you know,just kind of up and comer,
(30:52):
struggling, not having the rightclothes, not having any
connections and literally havebeen able, because of social
media, to create this empire.
And I have events wherecelebrities come and we're
getting shout outs from you knowRihanna and Kim Kardashian, you
(31:13):
know different things like this, where I'm just like I think
we're doing okay and I think,even if you know there aren't a
bunch of people who look like usin the room, or if there are,
if we get the invite or if wedon't like what I'm doing here
is good enough, like I feelvalidated by the people who
support me, those who love me,those who express that
(31:33):
appreciation for me.
And if you don't, you don't Godbless you, yeah.
Speaker 1 (31:44):
And in the South, when somebody says God bless you
, god bless you, I mean that isour way of saying something else
, but go ahead and say know what?
God bless you.
Okay, just yeah, go ahead, allgirl yeah what is your so I?
I call you this, and I'm prettysure a lot of other people like
(32:08):
if, if you follow her page,claire is a fashionista.
But what is your favorite style?
What?
What's?
What's your like, like favoritething to wear that just makes
you feel like yes, honey, yeswell, you know, I love a good
(32:31):
cat suit.
Speaker 3 (32:32):
Okay, I love a good cat suit mainly because I'm like
lazy, low-key and it's likeone-stop dressing you just put
it on and it's done.
Yeah, maybe you put on a beltor something or a little vest
over, but I love a cat suit.
And it's funny, I went, I wentto New York for New York fashion
(32:53):
week and I didn't.
I waited to the last minute, Ididn't bring like anything, but
I did pack this one Norma Kamalijumpsuit and it has these
little footies on it as well andlike little things for your arm
.
I love Norma Kamali, just ingeneral for easy dressing and
it's affordable.
But I was wearing that littlecat suit everywhere and I'm like
(33:14):
I need this in every color.
Speaker 1 (33:16):
You know you wear it on the plane Like why not?
Because when you find I know me,like why not?
Because when you find I know me, if I find something that that
I like, I need it in every color.
In every color, I need itbecause I have to wear y'all
gonna get sick of me in thisjumpsuit.
(33:36):
Yeah, y'all gonna get sick ofme.
Now I also noticed that you area a jacket girl, like you know
much like the like furs and thejackets and it.
I love a dramatic look and someof your looks are like iconic,
(34:00):
like you had this I think it'sin the clip.
It was a black dress and it hadbig sleeves.
That kind of went around ohyeah, I love that.
Speaker 3 (34:11):
I love that.
Like that's so funny.
My mother, my mother, was notin fashion.
I mean, it really comes from my.
My grandfather was a tailor inthe Bahamas.
He used to make suits for, youknow, funerals.
He had a tailor shop where hemade men's clothing and that's
where my mother learned how tosew.
So my mother, she used to makeclothes for me.
(34:33):
She went to the high school offashion industries in New York.
But it's just so funny.
My mother has great taste andit probably it all trickles down
from my grandfather through mymother to me.
But my mother, she's like I,when I go places, I want to
blend in.
My mother says this and thenI'm like when I go places, I
want to stand out.
Speaker 2 (34:50):
Yes, I want to be best dressed.
Speaker 3 (34:53):
I want to be ridiculous.
I want people to be like thisClaire, like what's she gonna do
next?
But I just think it's fun.
I'm like I think life is tooshort to wear boring clothes and
just have fun with it.
Why not like?
You literally only live once,so it brings me joy.
And it's another strange thing,like when people are like I
(35:14):
like your outfit, I love that, Ilove that and kind of I kind of
dress so that I can give.
So people could be like, oh, Ilike your outfit.
And if they don't, I'm likeokay, let me try it.
Speaker 1 (35:24):
I thought that I was the only one that did that.
I love it Like.
I love especially as a likeplus size woman, because people
swear that you can only wearcertain things when you're plus
size.
So I like to dress so thatpeople can say oh girl, you look
(35:46):
good, I'm like, thank you, youcan too.
Like I like to be a likewalking billboard for plus size
women.
Speaker 3 (35:56):
Yeah, you dress to impress.
I love it.
Yes, I love people are likewell, sometimes I'll get people.
They're like are you a rapper,are you a singer?
And I'm like, no, you know.
But I'm like when people arelike, oh, what do you do?
Do you work in fashion, youknow and I think that's a part
of it too Like always kind ofbeing a walking billboard for
your brand you represent.
(36:17):
So that's a part of it as well.
So that's a part of it as well.
Speaker 1 (36:20):
So, can you tell us what you have coming up, because
I know that you already have abook, but you also have other
projects coming up as well.
Speaker 3 (36:32):
Yeah, so the biggest thing is our Bomb Fashion Show,
which is September 13th 2025.
You can get tickets now atthebombfevaporatecom.
We're also going to be doing uma summer spring summer brunch
and dinner series.
We're going to do somethingcalled fashion bomb talks.
I have my podcast coming outvery soon, okay, and I'm
(36:57):
currently pitching my secondbook and I'm actually glad you
asked me that, because I've hadthis email drafted to this one
book agency and I haven'tpressed send because I'm like
hesitating and why I don't know.
So this is, this is you'reexactly what I do, we talk to.
I know I'm going to press sendand pray on it, but you know,
(37:18):
there's a lot that I want to doin not a short period of time,
because next year will be 20years of me doing Fashion Bomb
Daily and in my mind I was goingto take a pause mini retirement
, but maybe at 25, you know,because there's a lot more that
I want to do and a lot more thatI want to contribute to the
culture and I think it's neededand I think it's needed.
(37:48):
Like I think that women of color, women of different shapes and
sizes deserve a place where theycan feel welcome on the web,
and so I'm going to just keepgoing until I can't go anymore.
I'm excited for the next one tofive years.
Speaker 1 (37:58):
You definitely inspire me.
Like you definitely inspire me.
Like you definitely inspire me,I love your fashion.
I was going to ask you right,quick, for all the girls that do
love fashion but maybe we can'tafford all the high-end brands.
(38:20):
Like we can't, you know, afford.
Afford all the high-end brands.
Like we can't, you know, afford.
Where would you suggest that wefind our clothes to be just as
fashionable but at a lower cost?
Speaker 3 (38:34):
um, amazon, I shop on amazon all the time.
Honey, this from amazon, theseare from amazon.
It's so funny.
Yeah girl, my friends are likethis.
I'm one of the one friend who'sobsessed with the real
housewives and she's like thisis where they buy all their
jewelry.
I'm like I bought my jewelryfrom amazon.
Where else?
I like going to kind of smallerdesigners um, I have a few
(38:58):
items from hanifa, like smallerBlack designers, like Hanifa,
just for example.
I'm trying to think where elseto shop Zara.
I don't even know if Topshop'saround anymore I don't think so,
but I shop anywhere.
Zara.
H&m, yes, fashion Nova, hello,like honey, fashion.
Speaker 1 (39:24):
Nova.
Yes, fashion Nova.
Hello, like honey, I am aFashion Nova girl.
Speaker 3 (39:29):
They have a lot of cute stuff and their Nova Lux
line is really nice, but eventheir regular line, I love
Fashion Nova.
But there's so many places andI think you know getting the
basics from Amazon and thenoccasionally you know splurging
on one or two pieces.
But I really feel like the waveof the next generation is not
(39:49):
going to be spending a bunch ofmoney on clothes, maybe on shoes
and bags, maybe jewelry as well.
But I think you can find greatstyle at any price point and I
really strongly believe that.
Speaker 1 (40:03):
So, before we let you go, if you had any advice for
girls that feel like I want toget into fashion, like I want to
be more fashionable, but Idon't know if, if I can like, I
(40:28):
don't know if, if, if, if Iwould look good, like what?
What would you tell the girlthat needs to have more self
esteem to just be who they areand just dress however they want
to?
Speaker 3 (40:41):
Oh, you know, find your online muses, follow pages
like your page, follow FashionBomb Daily, find people who
inspire you, who style you like.
See if you can kind of likerecreate it in your own way.
But I think there's so muchinspiration online and so just
kind of like plug into those andthen don't follow the people
(41:02):
who make you feel bad or feelsmall or maybe they're not kind
of, they're not making you feelgood about yourself.
But just continue to findinspiration online in your
neighborhood and just try.
Don't be afraid to try newthings.
Try new silhouettes, dress up,dress down, just do whatever you
want, but just have fun with it.
Don't take it too seriously.
(41:23):
Don't worry about the likes orthe comments or the feedbacks.
At the end of the day, do whatmakes you happy and do what
makes your heart sing.
Like this dress today, Iprobably shouldn't be wearing it
no, but I love it.
Speaker 1 (41:40):
I love me a good like shoulder dress.
Speaker 3 (41:43):
I don't even know how to do this properly, but I just
love the color, Like this is myfavorite color, so it just
makes me feel happy.
So I think at the end of theday, a lot of people when they
think about fashion, they thinkabout judgment or people like
maybe looking down on you orsomething.
But kind of shift the focustowards what makes you happy,
what makes you feel good rightnow, and kind of lean in that
(42:06):
direction, start there and thenkind of everything will unfold
from there.
Speaker 1 (42:10):
I love it, I love it, I, I love you.
Thank you for gracing us withyour gorgeousness.
Thank you for having me, ofcourse, anytime, girl.
I I love this dress, like Ilove a good off the shoulder
moment.
So, yes, yes.
So where can our listeners findmore of claire?
(42:39):
Where where of Claire?
Where can we find you?
Where can we follow you?
We want all things you.
Speaker 3 (42:46):
Okay, we have a lot of websites.
Speaker 1 (42:49):
Let's go.
Speaker 3 (42:51):
I'll just start with the top five.
Maybe ClaireSomerscomTheBombLifecom you can follow me
at Claire Somers.
Then we haveFashionBombDailycom at Fashion
Bomb Daily.
Start there and then you'llkind of discover the fashion
bomb world.
We have fashion bomb kids.
We have fashion bomb plus.
We have fashion bomb beautyhair.
We have so many differentthings.
(43:12):
I love it.
Yeah, those are just a fewplaces, and thank you again for
having me.
I love meeting you.
I love your energy.
I'm inspired by you.
I've been telling myself forlike a year that I'm going to
start a podcast.
Speaker 1 (43:26):
Yeah, so let's do it.
Speaker 3 (43:28):
You just never know who you're inspiring out there,
so you're an inspiration to meas well.
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (43:33):
Of course, and anytime that you want to come
back and hop in this passengerseat, you are more than welcome.
Speaker 3 (43:41):
When I get a car, we'll do a sequel.
Speaker 1 (43:44):
Yes, Listen, guys, you have been blessed by the
best, the fashionista herself,ms Claire Somers.
Listen, I need you, ladies, oranybody listening, to know that
you are enough.
You do not need validation fromany body to be the best you
(44:10):
that you can be.
Go out there and have fun.
Just go out there and livedress, be for you, because you
are the one that's looking backat you, so you are the only one
that matters.
So you go out there and you begreat in your own faith, and
then you turn around and begreat in theirs.
(44:31):
Do you understand me?
Now, as you go out there and befabulous honey, like I know you
can be, remember to always havea good day on purpose.
You're welcome.
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