Renee Cafaro

Renee Cafaro Atelier creates haute couture specifically for bigger bodies, advocating for luxury and ethical production within the plus-size fashion market. Her designs have been featured on platforms such as ITV’s Alison Hammond, RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, the BAFTAs red carpet, CBS Good Morning America, iHeartRadio Breakfast Club, Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live, and the 2023 Oscars. Cafaro is recognized in the plus-size fashion industry for her role as the US Editor for SLiNK Magazine, a premier print media for curvy women, and as an influencer under the former Instagram handle FoxyRoxyFashion. Drawing on her experience as a fashion expert, journalist, and consumer, she addresses industry gaps by providing high-quality garments that emphasize fit and functionality for sizes 16-32. Cafaro operates with a commitment to local, fair wage business practices, with all production based in NYC, including patterns and manufacturing, utilizing locally sourced materials and contributing to the revitalization of the Garment District.

In March 2020, during global quarantines, Cafaro initiated the “Si Sew Puede” project, committing $25,000 to connect sewers with front-line workers in need of PPE, addressing both industry unemployment and the demand for masks and hospital gowns. This initiative later supported the development of her fashion designs. One significant innovation is a patent-pending dress, conceived in 2009 during her initial career in New York politics. This dress, designed to support DDD+ cups and allow for versatile styling, is available up to size 5X and aims to eliminate the need for strapless bras and excessive luggage. Her career began much earlier in New York politics, serving as a union organizer, campaign fundraiser, and high-ranking government official, following her studies at Stanford University at age 16.

Cafaro’s entry into fashion evolved alongside the body size acceptance movement. She became the US Editor of SLiNK Magazine in 2016, a role that underscored her dedication to diversity and inclusivity. Prior to this, her fashion writing appeared in publications such as Yahoo! Travel, Huffington Post, Medium, and The New York Post starting in 2014. Her transition from politics to fashion is driven by a desire to improve society through creative means, merging advocacy for equality and workers’ rights with a passion for inclusive fashion. Renee Cafaro Atelier and her ready-to-wear brand, RCA Public Label, emerged from her pandemic-era collective. She aims to provide “luxury fair wage fashion for all,” recognizing the significant market of women in the plus-size category.