Today we’d like to introduce you to Emma B Miller.
Hi Emma B, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Emma B. Miller received her BFA in Fashion Design and Technology this past spring from Lindenwood University. Much of her experience comes as a costume designer and in constructing historical garments, as well as a multi-medium artist. Fashion is art that celebrates the human form, and should celebrate and work with ALL human forms. EBM designs creates art for bodies of all sizes. Emma dreams of a world where a fashion designer working with a wide range of sizes is no longer worth mentioning, and they strive to work with the human form in all its presentations, and not against it. With an eye for inclusivity and sustainability, her custom designs are made to last, often consisting of classic pieces with unique elements designed to be appreciated for years to come.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I am a proud fat woman – which can be controversial in this day and age, even when not considering the fashion industry. I spent my education unapologetically questioning the lack of size inclusion on the runway and in the classroom. A significant portion of my experience in patterning and fitting garments to different bodies is from working for the Universities theater department. Costume designers and drapers do not make the clothes based on a dress form – they are given the list of performers and build the clothes for them.
I will never forget the day that the fashion department posted on their Instagram page to announce that the department had spent significant money to acquire “plus size” dress forms. While these forms are labeled a size 16, it should be noted that pattern sizing is different than dress sizing, and the waists of the dress forms are about 30″ (approximately a dress size 8). When a comment was posted by a classmate highlighting the lack of actual plus size forms, the caption on the post was edited without further acknowledgement
I also received many condescending comments from professors and faculty when I, or other plus size friends I recruited, modeled at the department fashion shows. My junior year, Emerald Honesta (a friend and coworker in the costume shop), had me model in their senior fall and spring collections. I was the largest model to ever walk Lindenwood’s runway. When it was first mentioned to a professor that I was interested in modeling for them, I was laughed at, and when I reiterated the seriousness of my statement, she seemed baffled. When I did walk the runway, the same professor told me how cute I looked and how cute my walk was. This is not a phrase I, or any of my classmates, has ever heard her use towards any other students or models.
In a snapshot, these moments are not that big of a deal, but my four years were spent full of little moments that highlighted just how far the industry has to go in terms of size inclusion. If an educational institution claims to be preparing students for the future of the fashion industry, why are we not taught how to design or cloth over 50% of women in the United States?
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a recently graduated Fashion Design student. I have shown collections at Kansas City Fashion Week in 2025 and 2026, as well as most recently at St. Louis Fashion week in June. My work specializes in avant garde silhouettes on a size inclusive roster of models. I believe many designers, especially in the high fashion sphere, limit their design capabilities by only utilizing one presentation of the human form. Fashion is an incredible artform that cannot exist without people and their bodies, and one that is enhanced when more people are included.
As I am a self funded designer, I am currently working on establishing a space to take custom commissions, but hope to produce a new collection within the next year.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
If I could give myself any advice when starting out, it would be that the only person responsible for your education is you. Whenever possible, set yourself up for rejection – not only will you be surprised at the opportunities you will be accepted to, but being able to put yourself out there and hear “no” is a valuable skill that will aid you wherever you end up.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ebmfashiondesigns.wixsite.com/ebmdesigns
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/ebmdesigns
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@ebm.designs
