New Curvy Designer On the Rise

I’m a true believer of taking matters into your own hands and it’s obvious that Marqeita Morris of Charleston, Illinois feels the same way.

Morris designs clothing for R. Ellington, her own company. Her designs were recently featured in a fashion show staged during Eastern Illinois University’s Homecoming weekend at the Worthington Inn in Charleston by Raydiant Vision Productions.

Morris, 25, a graduate of Eastern, said she learned to sew from her mother and grandmother, and built on that with classes in clothing construction and textiles at Eastern.

How Long has she loved Fashion:

“I was reading Vogue Magazine when I was 12,” said the young designer, “and I still have sketches I made then.”

What sizes and types of clothing she designs:

“I’m curvy,” she said. “I’m not a toothpick by any means, so I try not to be ‘sizeist’ in my designs.

“It’s kind of a jambalaya right now,” she said, “but it’s probably more sportswear than anything.”

What are her dreams for R.Ellington:

“For R. Ellington, my wildest dream would be to become a publicly traded company,” she said. “That is the day you know you have pretty much made it.”