In this KARAMO interview, Emmy‑nominated host Karamo sits down with fashion designer and TV personality Nina Parker to discuss her journey as a Black woman pioneering plus‑size fashion. Nina explains how industry bias—size limits, racial and gendered stereotypes, and a lack of representation—motivated her to create the Nina Parker Collection, the first exclusive plus‑size line at a major retailer. She recounts the viral Oscar dress she designed herself, highlighting how that moment proved couture could be made for curvy bodies and sparked demand for her line. Throughout the conversation, Nina shares personal struggles with body image, the emotional work of learning to love her body, and the importance of confidence, self‑worth, and community support. The dialogue also touches on the economic power of plus‑size consumers, the ongoing need for first‑of‑its‑kind representation, and how her story resonates with women who have faced similar marginalization.
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Friends, my guest Nina Parker is a trailblazer breaking barriers and creating a space for women with curves. Nina's on her way to becoming an icon in the fashion world. An African American woman to launch a plus-size clothing line called the Nina Parker Collection. Give it up for her. She is here today unlocking the keys to loving our bodies. Please welcome my dear friend, Emmy-nominated TV host and fashion designer, Nina Parker to the show.
Ah, yes! Get it, get it, get it, get it! I love you. Yes, of course. Take a seat.
I had to celebrate my friend. I'm so happy for his show. I know.
Thank you.
I had to give you a little diddy dance, you know? You know how we do. When we dance, we like, OK.
So Nina and I go way back. I gotta let you know, we have, I'm talking about from the trenches. Don't age us.
Okay, listen, we, look at the baby faces.
See, the thing about Black is it don't crack.
So y'all don't really know how old we are right there.
Y'all really don't know.
I knew that original hairline, honey.
Okay, you know, okay.
But could, did you ever imagine back then that we would both be on this journey, but more so specifically for you, that you would be here?
We have really held each other down in this industry. This industry is a thankless industry. This industry is not kind always to people of color, especially Black people. And there are a lot of ups and downs.
Yes. And also not just Black people, but Black folks at the intersections of things. Black and gay, Black and plus size, Black and woman. You know, like they don't get it.
Yes.
When you're breaking barriers, when you're different than the status quo of what we've been taught is beautiful or what is successful look like, It's always a challenge. You know, it's always like when you're the first to do it, there'll be somebody plus in someone's family. But then when you're on TV, they feel like you don't belong there.
I can tell you as a television host, you have been, literally I would walk in a room, they'd be like, we want this little certain, and Nina was like, no you don't, you want me. Okay, you want me. And it's the truth. But it's that confidence.
Yeah.
It's that confidence, but it's also this awareness of what you deserve. And that's what you've always brought, what people respond to.
Well, you know something I have in my clothing line, there's a piece of clothing that's stitched into each line and it says, my worth is not determined by my waist. Ooh.
And— You better speak on it.
It's always been so strange to me that clothing lines would stop at a certain size. I'm like, you think I don't want like some cute ripped jeans?
You know what I mean?
Like, you can't make this shirt a little bigger? And so it always was weird to me that worth was attached to size. Like, you deserve to be less happy. You deserve less success, you deserve less money because of what your waist looks like.
So is that what got the idea to start the fashion line of wanting to do more with it?
No, what got it was I was tired of looking tired and dusty because they didn't make cute clothes. I was like, I do not want this floral print business.
Come through, yes ma'am. Come through.
Yes. If I'm gonna wear florals, you better put a slit in it.
Yes, yes, yes.
And I was seeing so many things that I wanted to wear myself that just weren't available. And I was on television, I was filming 5 days a week and my stylist was struggling. We would find one outfit and be happy. And I'm like, well girl, we got a whole week. What are we gonna do? And it was like, I was tired of, especially when you're plus, you get a uniform. You find one thing that looks good and you're like, this is my staple all the time. And I was tired of having one staple. I was like, I need all the staples. Call me staples.
Okay, call me staples, okay?
And so really it was out of frustration. It really wasn't because I had a love for fashion. In fact, I was anti-fashion because I felt like when I watched these shows, when I watched these places, I felt like I didn't belong. And when I shopped, plus I would have to go into the back of the store on the third floor like I was doing a drug deal.
I'm like, I am just trying to get a V-cut top, not crack. Okay. Now y'all see why we friends, 'cause she is a mess, a mess.
Hold on, but can we talk about that viral Oscar moment where your dress went viral?
I had to make my, so I, you know, look, listen, I have a luxury of, thank you.
Go ahead.
I'll say this, because my career has been great, I have a team. And so we made our own and it ended up going viral and people were like, oh, you can have couture and curves.
Thank you.
Yeah.
And it's such a crazy thing that it, We're in 2023, and yet the conversation is still like, you can't have couture and curves, right? Like, it's, it's, you know, you tweeted out something that was very empowering about creating this own lane that came after this. Can you talk about this? You said, I designed and created my own Oscar dress this year due to very limited size options. I'll create a lane of my own. You can have couture and have curves. I mean, literally, that type of declaration is what led you to having your own line.
It was just little by little. But what was more important—
you look stunning, girl, by the way. That face is sitting okay.
Thank you. What really struck out to me was how many people it resonated with. And so I really, that was really another catalyst for starting this because not only did I wanna create a line for curvy women, but also something accessible and affordable.
Yes, yes. I wanted to go to this. How does it feel to be the first ever Black woman to launch a plus-size clothing line, the Nina Parker Collection? How does that feel?
You know, I have to say it's so odd when we're still getting firsts. As Black people, right? Because it's a lot of firsts that we're dealing with.
Listen, I say that all the time. People are like, you're the first gay Black man I ever talked to. I said, it's 2023, really?
Right, right.
I said, what?
Yeah.
Yes.
And it's an amazing blessing. And I will say there have been other plus creators, but I have created the first exclusive line at a major retailer.
Yes.
And so it's, it's been wonderful because you never know what the response is going to be. And, uh, the response has just been insane. It's been selling out and people are buying in droves. And it's because really it's just people just didn't think that plus women wanted just regular cute fashionable items. And I don't know if you know the plus women, they spend money, they spend a coin.
They spend a coin, yes. Yes, they spend a coin, yes.
Yes, they just need a place for their coin to live.
I call you when I'm done working and you know what this means to me, this show, and how much I care about people. And I have so many women that come on this show that have been disrespected by men in their lives, have been disrespected by their mothers, who have been disrespected by friends because of their weight. And what I have loved is that you have always empowered women to love themselves every single time. But I wanna know, how did you get, I know how, but how did you get to that place to love your body?
You know, I think you go through ebbs and flows. I think some of it comes with maturity. Some of it comes from awful, horrible circumstances. And some people lose themselves to it. And when I first started TV, you know, I was young, I was plus size, I didn't have, you know, a ton of money. So I was styling myself. And you know, one thing Black people gonna tell you is if you look crazy.
Okay, okay.
And so, you know, people would tweet and be like, you know, you need to do your hair, you need to do this. But then what would come later is the racist trolls, the, you know, fat shaming trolls. And it was— and to me, I was like, I'm talking about content and I'm not only representing myself, but I'm representing a culture of people. And that should be way, way more than what I look like.
Yeah.
And, you know, people— I found that people were so vapid and they were focusing on what I looked like and not what I was saying. But that also made me realize, you know, you're taking time out of your day to talk to me. That let me know I have some power.
Yes.
And what I will tell people is I exist in your world, you don't exist in mine.
Mm. Mm.
And that's by choice. Yes. We choose what exists in our world.
Mm-hmm. So when were you able to get to that place where you said, I'm gonna embrace my body? I know you said everything—
I fought the air a lot.
You fought the air?
You know, I cried. I have a really good family and a tribe that I can vent to and speak to.
To.
I'm human just like everybody else. But I will say, like, I take note of people who care about me and their opinions and their concern. But someone who is nowhere near anywhere I want to be, it doesn't matter to me.
Amen.
I've stopped letting other people's opinions affect me because you'll be responding to people all day.
The minute you can let go of what other people think about you, it is such a gift. It is the burden of people's opinions.
I don't care. And it's— you have to remember that because people always gonna have something to say. Always gonna have something to say. And the rules do not Yes, well, we talked about that a little bit.
The narrative that people like to push of like people, women who are curvy don't have relationships and can't find a man.
Child, please. And I'm just, I'm not even joking. Like I have had several long-term relationships and healthy relationships and so have my girlfriends. And that just hasn't been my experience. I've had a lot of issues. Finding a date has never been one.
Okay.
This like culture of social media and everything needing to be perfect has really skewed what reality is.
Yes, yes.
And that's just a lot of these things just aren't the truth.
And then we receive that and we start to repeat it and make it our own truth instead of realizing that you have to fight against that and know that's not the truth.
Sometimes you, your energy is what repels people, not what you look like. So if you don't feel you're deserving, then you won't be.
Something, give it up.
Listen, y'all didn't know me was about to take it to church.
She said if you don't feel deserving, then you won't be. If you don't feel deserving, then you won't be.
You set your narrative.
How do you feel like your story resonates with other women? Because one of the things I love about you and I, people know that they're getting the genuine us and they know that who we are is who we are always. How do you feel like you resonate?
I think, look, you can get two outcomes. You can get people who aren't ready to receive that message yet. And because of that, they may react negatively to it because they're in a place with their own stuff. And you have to give grace to people who just aren't ready to move forward in their spirit, in, in how they feel positivity-wise, body-wise. You have to be ready when you're ready, and certain experiences cultivate you to be ready. And then you have people who are sick and tired of being sick and tired, and they just need a little uplift. They just need to see somebody who looks like them doing it to know it's possible. I'm like, I got to get it.
Yes, I'mma get it. Amen, amen.
I don't know, hook or crook, I'mma get it.
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