NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 20: Nina Parker visits BuzzFeed's "AM to DM" on August 20, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
Nina Parker is no stranger to hard work and perseverance! The renowned television personality and entrepreneur has been making waves in the entertainment industry for years. In recent years, she added fashion mogul to her impressive resume.
In a new episode of TSR’s Never Stop, Parker candidly explains her journey of building her own clothing line, specifically tailored for plus-size women, and how it has contributed to her career growth.
Catch the full episode below.
Parker began her career in entertainment in 2007 when she relocated to Los Angeles.
Her path to success was anything but a smooth ride. On Never Stop, she recalled living in her car and only having a few hundred dollars to her name following her move.
But her persistence and determination eventually led her to get hired at TMZ. While there, she helped break some of the biggest stories, including Bernie Mac’s death in 2008 and Michael Jackson’s passing in 2009.
“I think we slept in the newsroom for 3 days,” she said about the aftermath of Jackson’s demise. “So, being part of that was just a different – it just kind of activated a different kind of hustle that I had never been a part of, and it changed the way that I worked.”
She credits TMZ’s “boot camp”-like experience for preparing her to slay as an entertainment correspondent.
Parker’s new job put her in front of the camera, a natural shift for her. For each event, she would collaborate with a team of hair stylists, makeup artists, and wardrobe stylists.
However, the new position presented its challenges. She recalled how hard she had struggled to find clothes that fit her body.
“You know how there are a lot of people who complain, like, when they don’t know how to do black hair on set, people also don’t know how to style a plus-size woman,” she said. “I would get these racks, and it would just be clothes that, you know, my grandma would wear.”
Losing weight was out of the question, the TV personality said. She admitted she had never looked at her body and thought she needed to change herself to be successful.
Nina Parker decided to make the desperately needed change in the industry herself. Nina soon realized that many plus-size women couldn’t even find “basic items” for their bodies. It shouldn’t be hard to find ordinary clothes to wear, she stated, but the choices were always limited for those with a fuller figure.
Realizing the wide gap in the fashion industry, Parker jumped at the opportunity to launch her own line, tailored for plus-size women.
However, the journey was not an easy ride. Her patience was repeatedly tested, especially coming from an industry where she always had to maintain a fast pace. Some of those challenges included securing funding and finding the right manufacturer.
Still, Nina Parker successfully launched her clothing line, and it quickly gained popularity. This venture enhanced her resume and significantly contributed to the growth of her multi-lane career.
