Denise Mercedes© Denise Mercedes

Denise Mercedes

At 21, she decided to start fashion blogging for plus size women.


SEPTEMBER 17, 2020 9:17 PM EDT

Denise Mercedes is a Dominican-American plus-size fashion model and clothing designer born in 1991 in New Jersey. She started her modeling career when she was 13 years old.

She used to work for her neighbor, a photographer that offered her a paid job as a receptionist in his studio. While working there, she felt the need to become a model. Three years later, at the age of 16, Mercedes submitted photos to agencies with no luck.

At 21, she finally saw her dream come true when as a full-time college student, she decided to start fashion blogging for plus size women.

She began to collaborate with different plus size boutiques, and in 2019, the now 28 years old model had the opportunity to cooperate with Forever21, Target, JCPenney, and many more. Mercedes continued to break barriers and started her body-positive campaign dedicated to women of all shapes and sizes called #becauseitsmybody.

As an advocate for body positivity, the Dominican is trying to become a voice for women of all shapes and sizes. Her biggest dream is to make it on the cover of a magazine and be on billboards. The model is also known for her fashion videos alongside her best friend.