Leah Alexiou, Adelaide – thecurvyfashionista_

Smell something? Yeah, that’d be the crippling scent of overachievement – clearly not coming from me. Introducing the face behind the name, Leah Alexiou, better known for her alter ego, Sasha Fierce… whoops, sorry, The Curvy Fashionista.
A smarty pants by nature, Miss Alexiou is 19 years young with a year of studying psychology under her belt. The Curvy Fashionista herself, created her Instagram page at the ripe ol’ age of 14 after struggling with self-acceptance and the bloody circus that is puberty.

“I saw a gap online with very little representation, or even celebration of curvy women – so I filled it.”

With 1,000 followers and a budding brand, lightning struck for Alexiou and some lass called Kim Kardashian chucked her a follow – heard of her? Yeah, nah, neither. Then followed Khloe and Kylie, bringing with them, more than 900,000 followers.
But her success simply cannot be boiled down to the Kardashian factor, as Leah has an undeniable sense for what her followers want and need from their favourite page – the key to her burgeoning brand, she says.

“My own need to see pages promoting curvy body types has, I think, been a reason why I can identify what my audience likes”.

A highlight of Curvy’s success so far? Kim Kardashian sliding into her DM’s to ask Leah what filter she uses – “Aden” for the curious among us.
What does the future look like for this superstar, you ask? The prospect of a career in styling, check out Polyvore account to pick up what I’m putting down, and eventually, a fashion label with sister, Victoria (@a1daily). In the meantime, keep an eye and an ear out on YouTube and continue fervently scrollin’ through.

Leah wearing: Fifth the Label
Photo wizardry: Anastasia Borrelli
Proofed: Tyana Rongonui