Some 25 years ago, Johanna Timmer started the brand Yoek for large/plus sizes. Not because she had trouble finding the right clothes for herself – on the contrary, she was the type that looked ravishing even in a burlap sack – but because she looked beyond her own size.

Johanna Timmer was 17 and had just embarked on a business education course when she was accosted on the street. Had she ever thought about being  a model? The question came from a scout for the Euro Model agency and before she knew it, Johanna was on a plane to Milan.

Thanks to her size 36, albeit with breasts, she fitted into the creations of most designers. But when she went shopping, it struck her that ‘larger sizes’ were much more difficult to get – especially in France and Italy.

Johanna: "Size 38, that was about it. If you had a Dutch size 40, forget it! I thought that was really weird.” After having combined her study with the catwalk for a c ... Read more »