The Chenese Lewis Show

Nadia Boujarwah is the Co-Founder & CEO of Dia&Co. Growing up, Boujarwah struggled to find stylish clothing in her size. She knew she wasn’t alone, so she teamed up with her Harvard Business School classmate Lydia Gilbert to transform the shopping experience for the 100 million plus-size women in America.

Dia&Co stylists work with top brands — from industry staples to up-and-coming young designers — to provide each customer with curated looks to suit her unique style and shape. Dia has a dedicated and diverse customer base crossing all 50 states and more than 80 percent of ZIP codes.

Prior to founding Dia&Co, Boujarwah worked as an investment banker at Perella Weinberg Partners, and most recently served as COO and CFO of New York-based jewelry brand Frieda and Nellie. With a Cuban mother and a Kuwaiti father, Boujarwah hails from both Miami and the Middle East, and is currently based in New York.

Yesenia Torres is the Design Director of ELOQUII, the trend-driven retailer for women sizes 14+. Beginning her tenure at ELOQUII in 2017 as Senior Designer, she was quickly promoted to her current position a year later as Design Director. A master in her field, Yesenia specializes in trend analysis, fit, textiles, and apparel in both straight and plus sizes. She played an integral part in leading the design for some of the brand’s most notable and successful collection partnerships: Draper James, Jason Wu, Cosabella, and Priscilla Ono. Under her direction, ELOQUII’s pieces have been globally recognized and worn by celebrities such as Chrissy Metz, Octavia Spencer, Rebel Wilson, and more.

Johnathan “Kayne” Gillaspie is a successful fashion designer and business owner based in Nashville, Tennessee. Kayne gained notoriety on Project Runway Season 3 in 2006, where he placed in the top 5 designers. He starred on the TLC special Gown Crazy in 2009, and has also appeared on E!, ABC, NBC, Bravo, and The Style Network. In 2012, Kayne competed on the second season of Project Runway All Stars on Lifetime television.  He serves as a fashion expert for Country Weekly, Zuus Country, and NStyle Country.  A few of his celebrity clients include Jennifer Lopez, Dolly Parton, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, Kelly Pickler, Tanya Tucker, Lee Brice, Rascal Flatts, and Reba McEntire. Today, the Johnathan Kayne label is sold to over 1200 dress boutiques across the U.S., around the world, and online. His latest project is a collaboration with Sydney's Closet, launching the "Dangerous Curves Collection", glamorous evening wear for sizes 12-24.

Kim Baker is a former Wilhelmina Model, turned commercial makeup artist who specializes in working with celebrities and models, based in New York. Kim's unique background and approach to beauty is what sets her apart from her peers. For 20 years, Kim was in front of the camera, beginning as a size 4 model and then in the early 90s became what was considered one of the pioneers in the plus size industry. Today, Kim has turned her passion for beauty into working with everyday women and has created Glamazon Beauty Cosmetics, a cosmetics line to enhance that "special something" she believes everyone has that makes them beautiful - their personality. Glamazon Beauty Cosmetics has been featured on Good Morning America, The View, Refinery29, In Touch Weekly, Essence, and more.

Gwendolyn DeVoe is the Creator and Executive Producer of Full Figured Fashion Week®, an annual presentation of the fashion industry’s finest plus models, designers, retailers, boutiques and businesses with products and services for the plus community.  The event celebrated ten years of production in June 2018 and is heralded as one of the industry’s most legitimate gateways for plus fashion and a “must attend’ for anyone involved in the industry. Gwen has written content for USA Today, and has appeared as an expert on several radio and television shows including Fox 5’s Good Day New York, OMG! Insider Entertainment Tonight and ASPIRE TV.  Gwen’s recent features include The Huffington Post’s Women in Business, Fortune.com, Fashion & Style, and Biz Women - The Business Journal. Full Figured Fashion Week will be held virtually, June 25-28, with a week full of fashion, entertainment, and a celebration of curves!

Kelly Price has forged her own career path in music, when she first earned the reputation as one of the industry’s most sought-after songwriters, before becoming a 9-time Grammy-nominated artist in her own right. Her first two albums, Soul of a Woman and Mirror Mirror both went platinum and launched Price to R&B prominence. Ever growing and ready for new ventures, Kelly Price is currently a series regular for the critically acclaimed drama American Soul, now in its second season. Price has also been given the distinguished honor of joining the iconic panel of Judges for BET’s hit gospel singing competition Sunday Best. Her new singles “What I Need and Unsung” are currently on all digital outlets!

Joy Cook is the CEO of Joy Cook Public Relations Group, speaker, and a best-selling author. Joy is an experienced professional in making and fostering relationships through digital engagement. This has placed her among top professionals in managing the online community. Joy took her Twitter talents to the White House when she was selected as one of the influential invitees by former President Barack Obama, to attend the arrival ceremony of the Prime Minister of Great Britain as a White House Tweetup participant.  A member of The Public Relations Society of America, Joy has been honored as one of the Business Journal’s 40 Leaders under Forty. She chaired the Education Committee for the City of Greensboro, Commission on the Status of Women and represented the 12th Congressional District as Delegate for the Democratic National Convention. Joy has been featured on HLN, CSPAN, BBC, FOX, CBS, ABC, NBC affiliates, ESSENCE Magazine Online, NPR and other local, national, and international platforms.

Keisha Holmes is the Merchandise Manager for Curvy Sense, a plus-size trendy e-commerce brand, designed and manufactured in Los Angeles.  Launched in 2016 she spearheaded a small start-up plus size clothing brand into a multi-million dollar fashion brand. Keisha has 28 years of experience in the fashion industry, specializing in plus sizes for 20.  After buyer positions at Fredericks of Hollywood, Torrid, and other national stores; Keisha transitioned to her position at Forever21, where she helped launch their plus-size division. Keisha's goal with Curvy Sense is to create affordable, fashionable, trendy fashion for plus-size women, so every woman can find something she would love to wear. Curvy Sense is currently manufacturing non-medical masks to help prevent the spread of Covid-19 for hospitals, medical clinics, and other essential businesses in need.

Phil Ryan is the Managing Director and CEO of City Chic Collective, a leading global plus size retailer. Since 2006, when Phil and his small team created the brand, his vision has been to lead a world of curves. Under Phil’s leadership City Chic has opened more than 100 stores in Australia and New Zealand and it now has a global digital footprint that represents over 50% of sales. City Chic’s presence in the USA dates from 2010 with the launch of the City Chic US website and the brand also has longstanding and successful partnerships with Nordstroms, Macys and Bloomingdales. City Chic further extended its US presence in 2019 with the acquisition of plus size online lingerie retailer, Hips & Curves and the e-commerce assets of another well-known plus size brand, Avenue. With over 25 years’ experience in senior and strategic retail apparel management, Phil is a global authority and passionate advocate for the plus size consumer.

Nicole Phillips is the Director of Social Media & Communications for 11 Honoré, a plus-size luxury e-tailer who partners with designers and brands to expand their offering into plus sizes. Some of the brands on their platform include, DVF, Carolina Herrera, Prabal Gurung, Christian Siriano, Brandon Maxwell, Adam Lippes, Marc Jacobs, Sachin & Babi and many more. Nicole has worked in the plus size industry for over 12 years. Before 11 Honoré, she worked at plus size retail chain, Torrid where she worked in merchandising and marketing, focusing on building the brand's social presence, influencer relationships and community. Nicole is dedicated and passionate about working in a fashion space that has been long time ignored by the fashion world. She is outspoken, driven and excited about where 11 Honoré is headed and believes that every person who wants to express themselves through beautifully, well-made clothing, should have the ability to.