From the Office to the Feed: Navigating Fashion as an Inverted Triangle Girl

Favour Izebhijie, ‘The Inverted Triangle Girlie’

Photograph sourced from Favour Izebhijie’s Instagram

Finding your style in a world full of aesthetics is difficult, but it can be even harder when brands don't cater to your specific body type. This is a challenge faced by many women in different industries, even as many brands today claim to be “inclusive”. Favour Izebhijie, a banker and content creator, has been documenting her fashion journey as a woman with an inverted triangle body working in corporate Nigeria.

Favour or Big Phay, as she is known on social media, spoke to Ekinken about her fashion journey. She shares a bit about her style growing up and how it has evolved as she got older and started a 9-5. 

What was your style like growing up?

“I grew up in a conservative home and wore dresses just to cover up my body. So there was no style, I just dressed up to cover up.” “ As I got older and interacted more with people, I tried to wear more clothes, but I wasn't allowed to wear trousers growing up, so it was just big shirts and big skirts.”

When did you become interested in fashion?

“I can't pinpoint the time it really happened, but when I got my job in 2024….I was going to be working a job where I was going to be customer-facing, and now you are a part of a brand, so you have to show up….you can't just show up anyhow, so I had to start being intentional about the outfits I put on.” 

How has it been navigating fashion as an inverted triangle girlie?

It has been a difficult journey because it is hard to get outfits. You would think women enjoy shopping for clothes, but it's really tedious for me. So most of the time, I don't like shopping because it's very tedious for me, especially finding clothes as an inverted triangle person. Most clothes are designed for hourglass, pear, or rectangular body types. You barely find people with a body type you can get outfit inspiration from. When you check fashion magazines, you barely find.

What would you describe your current style as?

I would say my current style is me, yeah, I know. Since I don't find outfits for my body type, when I see an outfit on somebody that I love, I now try to recreate it to actually suit my body type…. I try to tweak it in one or two ways and just make it sit well on me.

What is your favorite and least favorite trend in fashion right now?

“You would think because I am in fashion, I know so much about fashion trends, but I don't…. But I would say don't just know trends and follow them, make sure the trends actually suit you as a person.”

We did pry a bit more and asked her to share her thoughts on skinny jeans.

“You can never ever ever see me in it. Some people may be able to style it, but definitely not on me.”

Do you wish fashion brands were more inclusive (in terms of body types they cater to or sizes they offer)?

Yeah, I would say so, but I think because you do not automatically find people with my body type around, so I feel like brands just feel like think we don't exist. With the whole inclusion thing going on right now with brands, you still don't find it. You will see plus-size bodies, but when it comes to an inverted triangle body, you don't find that because people are always bullying people with my body type.

I wish other girlies with inverted triangle bodies would come out, and then we can start pushing for inclusion. Because we do not expect brands to include us when we are not speaking out. 

We spoke at length about the short-sightedness of brands that see inclusion as adding bigger sizes. To many brands, if you are not skinny, you are fat. This mindset completely ignores the other body types who are neither here nor there.

What African brands do you see hitting the mark in terms of innovation and inclusivity?

“I don't really know so much about fashion brands because I am still just getting into this fashion thing.”

We did share some African brands with her, but it was clear that inclusion is a rarely considered concept in mainstream African fashion.

What is one fashion tip you would share with anyone, regardless of their body type?

“I feel like when it comes to fashion, before you look at the outward appearance, you need to be able to sort out things in your head. When it comes to fashion in general, start with the inside.

A year or 2 ago, when I was still struggling with my insecurities, I started by choosing my undies whenever I wanted to wear an outfit, and I am very intentional about them. I started getting very nice sets of bras and panties, because whenever I wear it i already feel sexy. Before you get to your final look, you should already feel sexy. There are so many people, even with nicer body types and shapes, but they still lack confidence.

And finally, wear something that makes you feel confident. But let it be something that also suits you as a person and your body type.

Some people think I try to create an illusion of an hourglass body type or tell me to wear a hip pad, and even though I used to, now I just dress to fit my body.”

Big Phay’s fashion journey as an inverted triangle girlie is both inspirational and a wake-up call. Not just to brands but to women who face the same struggles as her, to come out and share their stories.

We look forward to the time when inclusivity is not just a trendy word, but an action. An action taken by my brands and fashion houses to include not just different sizes but also different body types.